


The One Who Stopped Time

by ohhihoney



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Coming of Age, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Misunderstandings, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Past Abuse, Road Trips, Tea shop AU, Zuko makes friends, its actually a really lighthearted fic, its really not as angsty as it sounds, of sorts, you can only try to take the fluff and cliche from cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 66,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26512738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohhihoney/pseuds/ohhihoney
Summary: All hope was lost to Zuko until one day, his uncle asked a random person at the Jasmine Dragon to tutor his nephew. Gritting his teeth and embarrassed beyond the point of no return, Zuko gave the blue eyed boy his number.Little did Zuko know how much Sokka would change his world.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 32
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter 1

He was failing math. 

It was the undeniable and absolute truth Zuko didn't want to accept but when his latest test came covered in red pen, he sighed and grudgingly admitted something needed to be done, whether he liked it or not. 

It was Zuko's last year in highschool, and while Uncle Iroh's tea shop did generate some money, it wasn't enough to pay student loans for an entire career, so the only choice Zuko had was to apply for a scholarship. He needed good grades. His grades in history and english were good, those involving science were very decent but math was a complete disaster.

After days of staring at YouTube tutorials and not understanding a single thing, he turned to his last resource and by now, only hope: his sister, Azula.

She was everything Zuko wasn't, or at least that's what their dad said. Azula was an ace at calculus, captain of the volleyball team and technically had more friends than Zuko. 

So there he was, seated in a plastic, red chair in the library at school, waiting for his sister. He huffed and shook his head, he still couldn't believe she accepted to help him.

The place was not big but it was quiet, two people reading a few tables away from Zuko and the librarian putting some books back on their shelves. It was a nice place, it should calm him but his mind couldn't stop running and his hands didn't stop sweating. He stared out the window in hopes of distracting himself and sighed.

Nothing much could be seen beyond the bright, green field and the cheerleading team practicing when suddenly, a book slammed against the table. He jerked on his chair and turned around, Azula was standing across the table with her volleyball uniform on and a smirk on her face.

"I hope you have fun," she said.

Zuko's eyebrows furrowed, he took the book on the table and read.

_ Calculus for beginners. _

Something sank inside of him, Azula was already walking away.

"Where are you going? You said you'd help me!" Desperation and anger slipped into his voice.

"Zuzu, no offense but you're a lost cause," she sighed as she put her hands on the table and looked at Zuko with fake pity in her brown eyes. "I have practice now and I'm meeting with Mai and Ty Lee later, so as you can see I have things to do. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Zuko clenched his fists and held back the urge to scream at Azula when she patted his shoulder, to then wave her hand at him as she walked away, completely ignoring the glare from the librarian.

Anger left Zuko's body as soon as it came, of course Azula wouldn't help. She wasn't the type to do favors without nothing in exchange, especially if they involved Zuko, who sank in his chair and let his forehead fall on the table.

He was doomed, he realized, there was absolutely no one he could call. Mai, his best friend, had already tried to teach him math; Uncle Iroh only knew economics and Azula just mocked him for even trying. 

Zuko sighed and raised his head to look outside, he still had about an hour left before his shift at the Jasmine Dragon but his study session apparently had been cancelled. A heavy feeling clinged on his limbs, he was tired and there was still another half of the day to pull through. He slowly shook his head as he grabbed his backpack and got up, maybe Uncle Iroh would let him start his shift earlier.

🌊

The tea shop Sokka entered didn't have a lot of people. Alright, maybe it's because it was around eight o'clock at night on Monday but he appreciated some calm at the end of the day nevertheless. Baseball practice took longer than he expected and Suki needed to do her homework, which was due tomorrow, so he agreed to meet her up at a new tea shop she found a few weeks ago.

Sokka had the skills to help, he was pretty much a genius. A walking calculator, as the math team he refused to get in said and Suki was his best friend so no matter the hour, Sokka would gladly help.

The Jasmine Dragon, which he expected to be a bubble tea shop, not an actual tea shop, had a very chill vibe. There were no more than six small, clean wooden tables around with a few plants and abstract flower designs on the walls decorating it, a window offering fresh looking sweets and a teenager behind the counter at the cash register.

Sokka easily found Suki in one of the couches at the bottom of the shop, her short brown hair escaping the half bun on her head. A cup of tea and highlighted papers already on the table in front of her

"Oh, thank God you're here," she sighed, closing her eyes and leaning on the couch. A laugh escaped Sokka's mouth.

"Why? Is it that bad?" He glanced at the scribbled papers on the table as he sat down and confirmed how serious the situation was. "Wow."

"It's new, alright? How am I supposed to know there are imaginary numbers?" Suki rubbed her eye, smudging slightly her black eyeliner and then took a sip of her cup. "Do you want anything?"

Sokka read the menu above the counter and surprise, they only sold tea. "No, thank you. But you might need another one, this may take a while."

Suki sighed again as Sokka took a pen and began to cross out his friend's miscalculations.

A while must have passed and only one sheet of Suki's homework was left when an old man cladded in a light green apron came around their table.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Iroh! How have you been?" Suki exclaimed with bright eyes, then she put a hand on Sokka's shoulder and pointed at Iroh with the other. "Sokka, this is Iroh, the owner of the tea shop."

Sokka waved, "Hi!"

Iroh had grey hair matching with a grey well-kept beard, a big belly and a kind voice that vaguely reminded Sokka of his dad.

"I've been well, Suki," Iroh answered as he sat on the couch in front of them, wrinkles formed around his eyes as he smiled. "I see you're doing math."

"Sadly.” Suki put down the paper sheets on the table, “I mean I can handle simple things but this is new so I need some help."

Iroh looked at Sokka with hopeful eyes, "Are you good at math?"

"He's a machine," Suki interrupted, knowing Sokka would simply shrug it off. "He doesn't even bring a calculator to class."

"Oh, it's not like that. I do bring it, I just don't use it," Sokka tried to defend himself but it quickly backfired when Iroh kept talking.

"Do you help people who are bad at math?"

"Not at the moment, just Suki."

"Would you mind tutoring someone?"

Sokka stopped to think about it for a moment. He was good at teaching people, he recognized that, and had a couple of hours free on Wednesday and Fridays so he shrugged and moved his head side from side to side.

"I've never thought about it but don't think I would mind."

"Would you mind tutoring my nephew?" Iroh asked.

Sokka hesitated as he looked around. "Do I know him?"

"He's the boy over..." Iroh turned around to point at the cash register only to find no one behind it, "there."

Sokka stared at the empty spot. When he entered the tea shop, he hadn't quite paid attention to the boy and he didn't look like anyone Sokka knew.

"Oh, come on, Sokka. What do you have to lose?" Suki said as she gathered her pens and put them in her pencil case. 

Sokka looked at Iroh's pleading eyes and breathed in. "Sure, I can tutor him."

"Thank you so much, Sokka," Iroh visibly let out a sigh of relief.

"No problem." Sokka put a smile on his face he hoped passed as a true one, Iroh stood up from the couch and straightened his apron with his hands.

"I'll go get him." He walked with quick steps to the door behind the counter, which Sokka assumed to be the kitchen, and disappeared. Then Sokka let out all of the air he had been holding.

A loud metal bang startled him as he picked up his pens, followed by a muffled stream of curses, all of which were clearly coming from the kitchen.

"Suki, you better know what you're doing," Sokka said as she zipped her bag and stood up.

"Oh, come on, Sokka. You'll be helping someone who needs it, how bad can it be?"

"I don't know, I've never even seen him before. For all I know he could be a psycho," his voice pitched.

Suki looked over her shoulder to the counter and laughed. "Well, now you will. I'll be waiting for you outside."

After Suki walked away, Sokka noticed the cashier had returned. He quickly grabbed his bag and thought about making a run for the door but instead, he sighed and slowly walked to the cashier.  _ God damned moral compass. _

The boy was around his height and had messy dark hair, the green apron hugged tightly his waist and even if Sokka wanted to see his eyes, he couldn't because the boy was burning holes through the counter.

What Sokka noticed was special about his apparent new student, was that he was as red as a tomato and a drop of sweat was sliding down his temple, his hands squeezing an ice pack so hard Sokka thought he would burst it.

"Hi." He thought about offering his hand to the boy but he didn't look like he'd appreciated it. "I'm Sokka."

"I'm Zuko." Sokka struggled to hear him.

"So..." He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and tried to push away the awkwardness clinging to his body, "can I get your number?"

If it was possible, Zuko seemed to turn even more red but then he nodded. He slowly took a hand away from the ice pack and as he gritted his teeth, he reached into the front pocket of his apron. Zuko passed his phone to Sokka over the counter, who typed in his number and returned the phone.

Sokka's mind fell completely blank, he had never encountered someone with such poor social skills but nevertheless, he already said to Iroh he would tutor Zuko. Sokka didn't want to be labeled a liar and Suki would kick his ass if he let down Iroh. 

He pushed a smile on his face and spoke hesitantly. "Guess I'll see you around."

Something finally seemed to click inside Zuko because right after Sokka finished speaking, he glanced up and the corner of Sokka's mouth slowly lifted up. A pair of big, wide amber eyes peeked between his dark bangs, a heavy mix of fear and embarrassment in them.

Zuko raised his hand to wave but immediately grimaced and held it close to his chest. Sokka resisted the impulse to ask if he was okay because Zuko seemed to be embarrassed enough, so he just smiled and waved instead.

"See ya." Sokka pushed the door of the tea shop and walked outside, to then breathe in as deep as he could.

"Wow, was it that bad?" Suki asked with a grin as she started walking.

Sokka briefly closed his eyes before following her. "Don't say a word." 

"I didn't say anything."

Suki let out a loud laugh and put his arm around Sokka's shoulders as they walked. He laughed a little bit too, what's the worst thing that could happen? And when a serious answer arose, he simply pushed it aside as hard and far as he could to the back of his mind.

🔥

Zuko had never felt such panic and embarrassment at the same time in his entire life. When he arrived at the Jasmine Dragon after school, Uncle Iroh asked why he had such a long face and Zuko had never hidden anything from him, in reality had no reason to do it so Zuko let the words spill from his mouth.

He just didn't expect Uncle Iroh to go and ask a random person to tutor him.

The moment he saw Uncle Iroh talk to the boy and the girl at the bottom of the tea shop, Zuko turned around and hid in the kitchen. There was absolutely no reason to suffer second hand embarrassment.

Except when it turned into first hand embarrassment. Zuko didn't mean to, no one would, but when his Uncle told him what he had just done, the kettle he had been holding slipped between his fingers and when trying to catch it, he burned the inside of his palms.

At first Zuko refused to get out, the day had been horrible enough but after Uncle Iroh said that if Zuko didn't come out, he would have to do it, Zuko grudgingly grabbed an ice pack and walked to the counter.

Turns out the guy wasn't a complete stranger to Zuko, he had seen him before, Sokka was the pitcher of the baseball team. He vaguely remembered seen his broad shoulders and tanned skin around the halls of the school, but now he was closer Zuko realized Sokka's brown hair was in a small ponytail, which left an undercut to be seen, and his eyes were the brightest blue Zuko had ever seen in his life.

And Sokka couldn't possibly look more like he wanted to run away.

Zuko worked through the pain and embarrassment as he tried to speak as little as possible, maybe that would drive Sokka to take back accepting to tutor him.

A sigh of relief left his mouth as soon as Sokka rushed out the door.

"So, how did it go?" Uncle Iroh asked when he walked outside the kitchen and started to clean the tables.

"As if you haven't been listening," Zuko huffed and followed Uncle Iroh, picking up the cups and plates the last customers left despite the hot and tickling feeling in his palms.

Uncle quickly dropped the cloth he was holding and took the cups away from Zuko's hands.

"I think there's some ointment for those burns at home, why don't you go ahead? I'll close," he said in a soft voice.

Zuko froze for a few seconds, shock filled his body, leaving his hand hanging in the air. Then he slowly blinked and clenched his jaw, he didn't want to be rude to Uncle Iroh but he'd had enough that day. 

Yanking the apron off his body, he stormed to the kitchen to look for his backpack and then left the tea shop with angry and heavy steps. 

Couldn't his day have gone worse? Well, the short answer was that yes, technically it could. He was exhausted, his entire being felt like it weighed a ton and his brain stopped working hours ago. 

He thought about what to do with Sokka. Zuko could of course accept Uncle Iroh's effort and let Sokka tutor him, but there were two things that stopped him from doing that, two things Zuko was absolutely sure about. 

When it came to math, he was a lost cause, he had always been, just like Azula said. Sokka, as a genius, would probably be even more frustrated than Mai tutoring him and second, Zuko didn't want to put Sokka through something he didn't want to do. No one deserved that, not even out of moral obligation or pity, and if Zuko hated something, is that people pitied him.

So no, Zuko was not going to text Sokka, or at least, not tonight. He could save the embarrassment for tomorrow. The only thing he truly wanted was to drop dead on his bed and pray the sun just took a little longer to rise.


	2. Chapter 2

The cafeteria was loud, it had way too many people inside and that is exactly why Zuko always had his lunch outside, Uncle Iroh often sent him something so Zuko didn't need to get food from the crowded and noisy place.

But the peacefulness of the tree he was leaned against and the soft grass under him wasn't enough to calm down the anxiety churning inside of him. After he woke up that day, he checked his phone, which had no text from Sokka and he hadn't seen the boy all day either. Zuko knew he would have to reject Sokka's tutoring eventually but he had no plan or speech prepared, his mind and body would freeze and he'd look like a fool and an incredibly rude person.

He shook his head and tried to focus on his food, there was still a couple of hours before his shift at the tea shop. He had time to think about an excuse.

The little calm Zuko reached crashed into the ground, when suddenly a brown backpack fell beside him and made his heart nearly come out of his chest. A boy with a bright smile sat in front of Zuko and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Aang," he greeted.

Looking wearily at him, Zuko reached out and tried not to grimace too much as he shook Aang's hand.

"I'm Zuko," he answered slowly. "What are you doing here?"

Zuko had never seen the boy and he didn't look like the kind of people Zuko hung out with. People like Mai, who usually wore dark colors and wasn't very loud. The boy in front of him was the complete opposite.

Aang wore a light blue beanie and an orange jacket with a yellow shirt underneath, his eyes were big and had a bright expression on his face. His smile didn't even falter at Zuko's question. "I'm new."

"I can tell."

"I didn't find my friends at the cafeteria and I saw you having lunch alone so I thought I could make you some company."

Zuko held in a grunt and stared at Aang, with what Zuko hoped was a  _ 'please, leave me alone _ ' look. He didn't need company, he was fine eating alone. He had never had company at lunch and people made him nervous, so no, he didn't want to eat with Aang. 

Zuko's prayers were answered because a girl dressed in blue was jogging towards them. When she was right in front of them, she looked up and down at Zuko with a wary expression but then she smiled and put a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Aang, I'm so sorry I'm late," she said as she tried to calm down her breathing. "What are you doing here? Sokka texted me he was looking for you."

"Really?" Aang had stars in his eyes as he looked at Katara.

"Yeah."

The girl had a friendly voice even if she refused to even glance at Zuko with her bright blue eyes. Suddenly, another voice interrupted them,

"Oh, there you are!"

Zuko froze. No, that couldn't be the moment. He was about to grab his bag and run when Sokka almost crashed against the girl.

"Where were you?" She said.

"I was looking for Aang." Sokka smiled and put his arm around the girl's shoulder as if he hadn't seen Zuko yet, who hoped it would stay that way. "Where were  _ you _ ?"

"I was held back," she replied as he shrugged off Sokka's arm. Then she smiled at Aang, who had gotten up. "Well, we still have to have lunch, I'm sure we can still catch a table if we hurry. Come on, Sokka."

She didn't wait a single second before taking Aang's hand and dragging him out of there, leaving Zuko still awkwardly seated in the ground and Sokka standing beside him. Sokka shifted the weight of his feet and slightly smiled down at Zuko.

"So..." Sokka started as he put his hands in his pockets, "you didn't text me last night and I forgot to ask for your number."

Zuko begged the universe for the Earth to swallow him. He tried to think of an excuse,  _ any  _ excuse, but Sokka didn't give him the time to do it.

"I'm sorry if this is a little bit rushed and I wished I told you earlier..." There it was, Zuko didn't muster the courage to reject the tutoring but Sokka did. Zuko almost sighed at the fact that he wouldn't have to rip off the band-aid, "but can we meet up today? I have practice tomorrow."

Zuko's heart completely stopped, only to then run as fast as it could. What did Sokka just say?

"I..." No words seemed to want to get out of Zuko's mouth. Yes, it was scary but he needed that tutoring, he just didn't want to put Sokka in such an awkward position. But this time, the blue eyed boy had a genuine smile on his face. 

Until his eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Is that a no?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean..." Zuko covered his face with his hands and breathed in. "I can meet up today, I'm free."

"Great," Sokka grinned again. "In your house or mine? 

Zuko didn't even need a mirror to know how red his face was. Going to Sokka's house seemed to be a good choice, he could get away easily if he wanted but at the same time Zuko didn't want to impose and his own room at home made him feel safe. He was pulled out of his inner debate when Sokka spoke again.

"Can it be yours? Aang is coming over mine and Suki is busy today, I don't want to third wheel."

Zuko pushed the questions on his mind and nodded.

"Great!" Sokka pointed with his thumb behind him. "I gotta go, so I guess I'll see you later."

Zuko stared at Sokka, who waved at him and walked away. He was a good few feet away when a thought crossed Zuko's mind.

"Wait! Sokka!" 

Sokka immediately turned around with wide eyes as Zuko tried to catch up with him. Zuko had an enormous urge to look down but he looked at Sokka's face instead while fidgeting with his fingers.

"You forgot..." No, that wasn't a good start. Zuko breathed in, "You may need my number."

Sokka's eyes widened even more and his mouth fell open. "Oh, you're right!" He replied as he frantically patted himself for his phone. "Here you go."

Zuko typed his number on Sokka's phone, which buzzed with text from someone named 'Katara'.

"Oh!" Sokka exclaimed. "Okay, I really have to go now, see ya!"

Zuko slowly raised his hand and waved as Sokka ran to the cafeteria.

⏳

The walk to Uncle Iroh and Zuko's apartment was quiet, too quiet, even for Zuko's liking. He could clearly see that Sokka was about to burst with the desire to talk, and after a while playing with the bracelets around his wrist, Sokka ended up asking about the weather.

"Pretty clouds, huh?"

Zuko glanced up, there indeed were a few clouds on the sky but beyond that, the sky was entirely a perfect blue. 

"Yeah, fluffy," He mentally facepalmed himself, this was going to be a long afternoon.

"Did you know that clouds can weigh more than a million pounds?" Sokka continued, looking at him expectantly.

Sokka went on rambling all the way to the apartment and soon Zuko realized Sokka really,  _ really _ loved the sky and space. Zuko was bombarded with facts and summarized explanations about everything there was to know about space and to his surprise, it didn't bother him that much. Sokka's chatter was joyful and about such a neutral topic Zuko couldn't find himself so nervous anymore.

Until they actually arrived at the apartment.

It was on the fourth floor of an old but very well-kept building, exactly three blocks away from the Jasmine Dragon. It had two rooms, a clean open kitchen and a dark red couch. The walls were all painted an ivory color and it had a few plants under the window and besides the couch. It was simple, yes, but Uncle Iroh had always been fond of the style and when Zuko arrived, he grew to like it.

He opened the door and dropped his backpack on the couch, telling himself that it was alright, he could do it. Zuko mentally went through everything Uncle Iroh taught when he first started working at the tea shop about being a good host, then he turned around and looked at Sokka, who was scanning the area with his eyes.

"So," Zuko rubbed his hands and swallowed down the knot on his throat, "can I get you anything?"

Sokka seemed like he was about to turn down the offer when an idea flashed before his eyes.

"I know Iroh and you like tea and everything but by any chance, won't you have coffee? I didn't sleep very well last night."

Zuko tried not grimace, out of all the things Sokka could ask, it had to that one? But still, he was already a terrible student, he had to try to be a good host.

"I think we might." Zuko went to check the cabinets in the kitchen.

He remembered when Mai hung around more often, she had a coffee once but neither Zuko or Uncle Iroh liked it so it might as well have gone to the trash.

Zuko held back the impulse of loudly celebrating victory when he spotted a nearly full jar of instant coffee behind at least a dozen mugs and cups.

"Is this you?" Sokka said.

Zuko turned around with his fingers tightly holding the jar and saw Sokka looking at the pictures hung above the couch. The pictures were quite diverse, they went from Uncle Iroh and Zuko's dad, Ozai, together at Ozai's wedding to Uncle Iroh's son, Lu Ten smiling at the camera in kindergarten. From the front of the Jasmine Dragon to Zuko and Azula as babies.

That was exactly the picture Sokka was pointing at. Zuko shouldn't have been older than two years old, and Azula was barely a few months old, but they were both sleeping side by side with little golden crowns on their heads. Zuko was told his mom took the picture and it made sense, his father would never but his mom always liked to dress them up and photograph the moment.

Zuko let out a sigh, it's not like he could erase the image from Sokka's head now. "Yes, it's me."

"You look so cute! Who's that?" Sokka pointed beside baby Zuko.

"That's my sister, Azula."

"Azula?" Sokka yelled in surprise, his eyes almost coming out of their sockets. "Isn't that the captain of the volleyball team?"

With a confused expression, Zuko nodded. "Yeah, why is that so surprising?"

"Oh! I just... you don't look like..." Sokka scratched his head nervously, and then explained rapidly while moving his hands in the air. "You're like an overall chill person and she's a bit..."

"Crazy?" Zuko suggested without a single trace of remorse in his voice.

"For the record, I was going to say intense but let's just say she's been mean to Katara quite a few times, so neither of us really gets along with her."

Zuko huffed a laugh.

"Yeah, me neither," he replied and Sokka relaxed. "Also, who's Katara?"

"You don't...?" Now it was Sokka's turn to look confused. "The girl that showed up at lunch to kidnap Aang? She's Katara, my sister. She's probably making vegan cupcakes for Aang right now or something."

So the girl that for some reason refused to look or even acknowledge Zuko was Sokka's sister.  _ Great _ . 

"Oh, I remember her." Zuko briefly wondered why he didn't notice the similarities when they were as obvious as water being wet. He held up the coffee jar in his hand, "Will this do? It's all I have, I'm sorry."

"That will do perfectly," Sokka smirked. "Now go get your book and a pen because you're about to math!"


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko's brain cracked more than math-ed but by the end of the week, despite going through some batches on the way, Sokka managed to teach Zuko basic equations and how to almost perfectly use Pi.

They arranged a schedule in which one week, they would meet at Zuko's apartment and the next one at Sokka's house, and so on. The first three lessons went on without a single issue, even if Aang came over last time and distracted them a bit.

Aang, Sokka told Zuko, was their new neighbor. He had moved in with his godfather, Gyatso, and st. Bernard dog named Appa and a siamese cat named Momo.

Zuko also discovered Aang was incredibly social, always jumping around and saying hello at everyone, but for some reason Zuko still couldn't understand, Aang chose to sit with him at lunch, which also brought Katara, Sokka and Suki. The first few days were awkward, to say the least, with Zuko usually staring at his food or at his hands until he was asked a direct question but by the end of the week, he was used to Katara's occasional glare and even participated actively once or twice in a conversation.

It was Friday afternoon and Zuko had just arrived at Sokka's house, after a quick trip to his own apartment because he forgot his copybook. 

The house was lovely on the outside, the walls were a blue-gray tone and it had a little bit of grass in front of it. He adjusted the straps of his backpack and rang the bell. The door was opened immediately and Zuko was about to say hello when he realized Katara was the one in front of him. 

She gave him a cold glare and stepped away. "He's in his room"

The confidence in Zuko diminished, he wasn't used to entering the house without Sokka's invitation. It was still a strange house but he breathed in and went through the door frame.

The house was also lovely on the inside, everything had a warm color scheme and the living room was wide, with a hallway at the end of it. Zuko walked past Katara on the sofa and headed to Sokka's room. It was weird Sokka didn't open the front door, especially because he was clearly inside his room, shuffling sounds came from it. Zuko slowly inhaled in an effort to calm down and knocked.

After a few seconds of no one answering, he knocked again, louder and longer this time. Then, he sighed and opened the door.

The shock left as soon as it came, a smile spread across his face. Inside the dark blue walls of the room, Sokka was energetically dancing and cleaning, completely unaware of Zuko's presence. He was humming to the song blasting through his earphones, that Zuko vaguely recognized as Beyonce and picking up clothes from the floor.

Zuko let out a laugh when suddenly Sokka turned around and screamed, sending all of the clothes flying into the air. Sokka pulled out his earphones and put a hand over his chest as it quickly went up and down.

"Didn't they teach you how to knock?" Even if he seemed to be on the edge of a heart attack, Sokka's voice had no bite.

"I did knock," Zuko answered as he failed trying to push down the corners of his lips. Sokka began to pick up his clothes again.

"Knock harder," he breathed in and walked past Zuko. "I'll be right back."

Zuko watched him go as he sat down on the bed and looked around.

Sokka's bedroom wasn't messy per se in his opinion, it was just a little unorganized. The papers and colored notes on the desk in the corner were all over it and there had been clothes on the floor before Zuko came in, but the bed was made and blinds were open, it also smelled quite nice.

Suddenly, Sokka came back with rush steps and closed the door, to then lean against it. "Wow, Katara's mad, did you say something to her when you came in?"

Zuko sighed and shook his head. "No, actually I didn't say anything to her."

He couldn't understand why Katara didn't like him. He had never encountered her before, much less being rude to her and he understood if she didn't like Azula, but he hadn't done anything wrong.

"I think she's just mad because Aang is at Toph's, so he can't be here." Sokka shrugged, then he walked to his desk and focused on the pile of books under it. "She'll get over it."

"Who's Toph?"

"She's Aang's friend, I've never met her before," Sokka answered as he tried to pull a book from the bottom of the pile without making it fall apart. "Aha!"

Sokka held triumphantly a thin book, then he smiled at Zuko. "Did you bring your copybook?"

Zuko sighed and nodded.

⏳

After a couple of hours and a visit from Katara saying she was going out to meet Suki, Zuko declared a timeout. His brain felt like it was about to melt and Sokka was gripping his pencil a bit too hard. Thankfully, it came just at the right moment because suddenly, screams could be heard from outside and someone was banging the front door, sending Zuko and Sokka's hearts through the roof.

"Katara! Sokka!"

That was clearly Aang's voice, with an uncharacteristically scared and desperate tone to it. With a frown, Sokka got up from the bed and rushed to the door, Zuko right on his heels.

Sokka swiftly opened the door, Aang seemed two seconds away from bursting into tears.

"Appa's missing!" He yelled.

"What?" Sokka shouted back.

Zuko vaguely remembered the fluffy dog, only seeing it briefly last Wednesday.

"What happened?" Sokka asked as he stepped aside, letting Aang enter the house.

"I was over at Toph's," he started as he frantically moved his hands, "and when I came back he wasn't here! Gyatso's at work and I called him thinking he could have taken Appa for a walk but he said no. I searched and called him everywhere around the block but he's gone."

"I haven't seen him," Sokka replied, "but let me call Katara, maybe she did when she went out."

Sokka typed something on his phone and went to the kitchen. 

Zuko glanced at Aang, who was looking in the direction of the kitchen with tears about to fall from his grey eyes, and Zuko felt pity for the boy. He liked dogs, he liked animals overall, and he honestly didn't even want to imagine how Aang was feeling.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Zuko asked as he anxiously rubbed his hands together, Aang focused his stare on him and thought for a moment before answering.

"I saw him in the morning before going to school, I woke up earlier to brush him because he's shedding."

"Do know you know any place he might be?" 

"The only place I can think of is the park, Appa's not the type to leave the house alone," Aang answered in a distressed voice.

"We can start over there," Zuko replied at the time Sokka's loud voice spilled from the kitchen.

Zuko didn't mean to listen to him, it wasn't polite and it didn't sit right with him to listen to other people's conversations behind their backs but Sokka was nearly shouting.

"Katara, what's wrong with you?"

A few seconds of silence.

"It's not the time to nag, Katara! Just tell me where the keys are, it's not that hard!"

That seemed to solve whatever was happening because a moment later, Sokka walked out fuming from the kitchen and went into the hallway. Neither Zuko or Aang dared to move or breathe as they heard Sokka shuffling around in what Zuko supposed was Sokka and Katara's dad's room.

When he came back, he was holding car keys in his hand.

"So, what are you waiting for?" He said before walking to the front door.

Zuko quickly put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Do you even have a license? You're seventeen."

"No, I don't," Sokka answered, "but dad taught me and Katara how to drive and says we can use the car for emergencies.  _ This  _ is an emergency, so let's go."

Zuko stared with wide eyes at the way Sokka smugly walked to the car parked in front of the house and got in. Aang slightly pushed Zuko's shoulder as he followed Sokka, who yelled at Zuko from the driver's seat.

"Even if you ran, you wouldn't make it to the park in less than fifteen minutes. The clock is ticking, get in."

Zuko sighed and prayed he didn't regret this as he got in the backseat of the car. 

⏳

To Zuko's surprise, Sokka turned out to be an excellent driver, so in less than ten torturous minutes for Aang, they arrived at the park. 

The park was a big open field of green, it had a picnic area and swings and slides not far away, lampposts illuminating everything. It was strangely quiet. Worry sat in Zuko's chest, there was no sight of the dog. The sky was dark already so there weren't a lot of people around, much less their pets but nevertheless, they splitted. 

Zuko felt stupid shouting in the middle of the park but he thought that, at least, he wasn't the only one and he was already involved into this. Despite not knowing Aang for long, he liked the kid, he had always been nice to Zuko. He couldn't just let Aang and Sokka search for Appa alone, it wasn't right. So putting his hands around his mouth, he shouted again.

After ten minutes, they met back in the car, Aang biting his trembling lip and Zuko and Sokka with looks of defeat.

"Okay, let me think for a bit," Sokka said as his eyebrows furrowed. In a second, he snapped his fingers and looked up. "Okay, first, we need to call everyone we know and then call animal control and every shelter around."

Aang was nodding as fast as his head allowed him, hope and determination filling his eyes. "I'll call the animal control, and then the shelters."

"I'll text my team and Suki so she can tell her karate class, " Sokka added.

Zuko also got out his phone. "Uncle is still working, he'll ask people at the tea shop."

Soon, the three of them were on the phone. Uncle Iroh easily agreed to ask every single person in the Jasmine Dragon and additionally, Zuko asked Mai if she could convince Azula to ask the volleyball team and texted Ty Lee to see if she could ask the cheerleading team.

When they finished, Aang said there were still a few shelters open so without asking a single question, Sokka got in the car and asked for the directions of the nearest one.

Their trips were short and with every shelter they visited asking if they had seen a st. Bernard dog around, their hopes fell faster to the ground. No one had seen a single thing, not even heard a report from it. Appa was completely missing.

They had to stop when Aang got a call from Gyatso, saying it was better for Aang to come home, that Appa was a smart and strong dog, he would know the way back home. The only thing Zuko could do was to try to comfort Aang with a hand on his shoulder as Sokka drove home.

Aang said goodbye and got off the car without the usual cheerfulness in his voice and something tightened in Zuko's chest. 

He and Sokka got out of the car as Katara walked out of the house. She opened her mouth but then seemed to notice their sagged shoulders, so she pursed her lips and rushed to Aang's house.

Sokka sighed and stared at the ground. "It's a bit late, I can drive you home"

Zuko looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh, no, it's alright. You don't have to, like you said, it's late."

"Exactly," Sokka faced him and put his hands in his pockets. "Your uncle would ban me from the Jasmine Dragon if I let something happen to you in the middle of the night. Get in the car, I'll get your stuff."

Sokka waited for no answer as he ran into the house and a few moments later, walked out with Zuko's backpack. He reached out for it but Sokka quickly avoided his hand, to then get behind the wheel and leave the backpack on the companion seat with a smirk. Zuko slowly shook his head and huffed a laugh before opening the door of the car and seating beside Sokka.

He started the car and Zuko felt the soft rumbling of it on his body, watching through the window as Sokka's house made itself smaller. They past blocks, local stores and the park, all in complete silence but somehow in the darkness of the night, it didn't bother Zuko.

The quietness was broken when Sokka stopped at a traffic light. "I'm sorry about today."

Zuko turned his head and looked in confusion at Sokka. "What?"

"It's been a long day, you signed up for a math lesson and I ended up dragging you into an Appa seeking quest." Sokka was looking straight ahead and his voice had a gloomy tone.

"Hey, don't apologize for that," Zuko started. "I would've helped Aang anyways and you've had a long day too, teaching me math must be just as hard as me trying to learn it."

Sokka faintly smiled as the car moved again when the traffic light changed.

"Oh, you're not that bad, you just need someone with a little bit more patience than normal," Sokka teased with a steadier grin on his face.

Zuko huffed a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I'm sure that's the entire problem."

"Oh, don't say that, you're good. Admit it."

"No."

"Admit it!" 

Sokka was now laughing out loud while Zuko's face was growing red.

"Alright, let's say it's been a long day for both of us," Sokka settled, then he sighed. "I know you don't like coffee, so I'd invite you a tea in compensation if I knew any open shops at this hour."

"How do you know I don't like coffee?"

Sokka snorted. "Oh, please. The coffee jar in your apartment is full and you look with contempt at my cup."

Zuko's face was definitely red now.

"But we're on hand anyway," Sokka continued as they stopped at another traffic light. "You don't like coffee and I don't like tea."

"You don't like tea?" Zuko shouted. 

Sokka shrugged as he drove forward. "Yeah, I mean, tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice." 

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "Then coffee is nothing more than hot bean juice."

Sokka gasped dramatically and slapped the wheel. "How dare you? Take that back!"

"No," Zuko smirked.

Then he deeply breathed in as he leaned back in his seat and looked through the window, mindlessly letting his eyes pass through the front of houses and stores and if he was honest with himself, a part of him was getting tired, the day finally catching up with him. But the other part of him was having fun, a strange calm filled his body in the car.

"Well," he sighed, "I'd invite you a coffee if I knew any coffee shops."

Sokka glanced at him from the corner of his eye and then grinned. "Really?"

"I mean..."

Zuko hesitated, he had meant what he said as a joke because he didn't know a single coffee shop around, not because he'd actually do it. Could he do it? He had some money in his pocket and Sokka was already making him a lot of favors, he thought. Zuko looked at Sokka with wide eyes and shrugged.

"Yeah, why not? It would be the least I can do, since I'm not paying you for the tutoring or anything."

Sokka abruptly stopped at a traffic light and then stared at Zuko.

"Okay, we're like two minutes away from your apartment," he rushed. Zuko glanced out the window and indeed, they had already passed the school and the Jasmine Dragon was only a couple blocks away. He focused again on Sokka when he continued, "Are you serious? Would you invite me a coffee?"

Sokka's eyes were bright and his features playful. Zuko swallowed and his mind ran through hundreds of possibilities before opening his mouth and nervously nodding.

"Yeah, why not?"

When the traffic light changed, Sokka let a big grin light up in his face as he turned left and away from Zuko's apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

The small coffee they parked outside of, had a white led sign that read:  _ The Balloon _ and in a smaller font,  _ Coffee Shop Open 24/7 _ . Zuko held in a laugh, of course Sokka would be the type to know a coffee shop open at all hours.

A soft yellow light coming from the inside was the only thing illuminating the street, only a single person in one of the few tables could be seen through the window. When Zuko entered, a wave of heat hit him, he hadn't realized how cold outside actually was until then. The brown walls and the whole atmosphere gave him a sense of familiarity, even if he didn't like coffee in and of itself, he found the smell comforting.

"Sokka! It's been a while, how are you?" 

Zuko refocused his sight and saw a thin man with glasses behind the counter, his brown hair pointing in all directions and his eyes shined as he looked at Sokka.

"Mr. M!" Sokka exclaimed. "I've been good, how are you? How's Teo?"

Zuko put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and tried not to look too unfriendly as he watched Mr. M and Sokka talk. He felt weirdly out of place.

"Teo? Oh, he's been better than ever," Mr. M answered excitedly. "Just last month, he won a contest for his software for the chair."

"Really? That's amazing!"

Mr. M noticed Sokka wasn't alone, despite Zuko's effort to hide himself behind Sokka, who remembered what they were here for.

"Oh, right! Zuko," Sokka put a hand on Zuko's shoulder while he pointed at Mr. M with the other," this is Mr. M, owner of the cafe. Mr. M, this is Zuko."

Zuko awkwardly waved, then Mr. M offered his hand. "Any friend of Sokka is a friend of Teo and mine. Nice to meet you, Zuko."

He forced a smile on his face and shook Mr. M's hand. "So, what can I get you?"

Zuko looked at Sokka with wide eyes.

"I'll just get the usual," Sokka said.

Then Mr. M looked at Zuko, who shrugged. "I'm fine, actually. I don't want anything."

"Are you sure?" Sokka asked with slight worry and guilt in his eyes.

Zuko reassured him with a small smile. "Seriously, I'm fine."

"Alright," Mr. M said as he typed in the cash register.

Soon, Zuko paid and Sokka had a hot cup of coffee in his hand. Then they decided it would be nicer to take a walk than to sit inside.

The night was cold and Zuko thought he should've known better when he dressed himself that morning but despite that, it felt nice to just walk around the block almost at midnight. Sokka was focused on sipping his coffee and clearly didn't expect Zuko to talk much so Zuko didn't have to think about a conversation topic. He could try to relax and enjoy some peace.

He glanced at Sokka from the corner of his eye and realized the blue eyed boy was looking up, his neck completely bending. 

"It's a shame we can't see the moon, I bet I'd be beautiful," he said.

Zuko looked up and agreed with Sokka. The stars were barely visible and the moon was nowhere to be seen, the clouds from the autumn day hiding everything above them, then Sokka sighed and a guilty smile showed up on his face.

"I'm sorry I made you buy me a coffee."

Zuko wasn't usually a person that talked back, unless it involved Azula, but when the words left Sokka's lips, a spark of anger birthed in his chest.

"Stop apologizing," Zuko said in a demanding voice. "If I didn't want to do those things, I wouldn't have."

Sokka shook his head and let out an airy laugh.

"Alright, alright. Don't get angry, don't hurt me," he replied as he raised his hands in an innocent gesture. "We don't want Katara to shut the door on your face next time you're over."

"Why does she hate me so much?" Zuko finally had the courage to ask.

Sokka scratched his head and shrugged.

"It's kind of a long story," he answered as he glanced at Zuko and then ahead, "but believe me, she'll have to get over it one day."

Zuko nodded as they fell back into a comfortable silence, it was alright if Sokka didn't want to tell him, it wasn't his business anyway. A part of Zuko wondered how long they had been walking, noticing how they were the only people on the sidewalk and how their steps resonated on the street. But suddenly, when he was about to search for his phone, Sokka tripped.

A curse left his lips as he grimaced, he managed to save the cup of coffee but part of it had splashed on his hand. With the other hand, Sokka reached inside of his pocket.

"It's Katara," he said as he swiped the screen of his phone.

Zuko stared at his feet and counted the lines on the sidewalk and the patches of green in it as he tried to give Sokka the illusion of privacy.

"No, I'm at the Balloon," Sokka said, to then sigh and nod. "Okay, I'm on my way."

He hung up and then looked at Zuko apologetically. "I gotta go, I'm — "

"What did I say earlier?" Zuko interrupted.

Sokka huffed a laugh. "Right, no more apologizing but Katara is a bit worried, it's better for me to get back. Come one, I can still drive you home before Katara calls again."

Sokka faintly smiled and walked back to the car with Zuko right behind him.

⏳

The ride wasn't longer than ten minutes, but for Zuko, it felt like seconds. There was this strange feeling of calmness inside of him, something he rarely felt since his dad kicked him out of the house.

When they arrived at the building, Zuko grabbed his backpack and sighed. "Let me know if there's any news about Appa, okay?"

"Of course."

Sokka gave him a smile, which Zuko returned as he got out of the car. He was about to enter the building when he heard Sokka's shout.

"Hey, Zuko!" Sokka had rolled down the window and leaned over it. "Thanks for the coffee."

Zuko waved, "Thanks for the ride."

The lights of the stairs were off so Zuko did his best not to trip and to find the right key. Turns out, he didn't need to because when he finally found the right key and put it into the lock, the door suddenly swinged open and Uncle Iroh showed up with a worried expression on his face.

"Finally you're here, I've been worried sick. I've been calling you," he rushed and then stepped into the apartment.

Zuko widened his eyes as his heart skipped a beat, he quickly searched into his backpack and pulled out his phone.

_ Twenty three missing calls. _

_ Fifteen messages. _

_ One voicemail. _

"What happened?" Zuko stuttered.

"Well, it's past midnight and you weren't coming home," Uncle Iroh explained with an exasperated tone as he threw his hands in the air, "and second, someone at the tea shop said they had seen a st. Bernard dog being taken by a shelter nearby."

"What?" Zuko yelled.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you but you didn't pick up your phone!"

Zuko ran his hands through his hair and pulled, then he let out a groan of frustration. Sokka literally just left, how come they had been so close?

Without thinking, Zuko walked to the door with fast steps and opened it.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Uncle Iroh asked. 

Zuko was already going down the stairs. He turned around, "To the shelter, isn't it obvious?"

Uncle Iroh sighed and walked down a couple of steps to put a hand on Zuko's shoulder, to then slowly drag him back into the apartment.

"The shelter is closed, Zuko."

It took him a moment for the information to click inside his brain. Right, it was past midnight, there was hardly anything open at this hour. Slowly, Zuko sat down on the couch, tiredness slipping into his body as he sank in it.

"You should go to sleep, Zuko. You can go to the shelter in the morning," Uncle Iroh gently said as Zuko closed his eyes.

He hummed in agreement and deeply breathed in. Then, he walked to his room and wished Uncle Iroh good night as he closed the door. 

Zuko brushed his teeth and put on his pajama but when his head touched the pillow, the tension wouldn't leave his body. He was tired, it had been a long day but for some reason, his brain couldn't stop thinking. He thought about calling Sokka and tell him he found Appa, but it wasn't the truth, the st. Bernard the shelter found could be any st. Bernard. Besides, Sokka would have to drive back and Zuko couldn't ask him for that.

He sighed and resigned himself to count.

The hours passed as he drifted in and out of sleep, tossing when the bed was too hot or too cold and turning when the small lit up dot that indicated his phone was charging was too bright. When he opened his eyes again, his patience ran out and curiosity got the best of him. With swollen eyes and a dry throat, he reached out and glanced at the hour on his phone.

_ 6:12 a.m. _

Zuko buried his head on the pillow and groaned, was he really that worried about Appa? He was just the dog of someone he barely knew, but a voice whispered inside of him that wasn't completely true. Despite Aang’s extremely cheerful attitude, which was mildly annoying, Zuko had grown used to his presence; he thought that if suddenly Aang didn't sit with him at lunch, he'd feel like something was missing.

Could it be Zuko's 'finish what you started' mentality then? Yes, that could be it, he thought. Willingly going through so much trouble and being up to go to the shelter first thing in the morning had to mean something.

With a deep sigh, he pulled away the covers and got out of bed. 

⏳

Uncle Iroh wasn't to wake up until seven, so Zuko put on some clothes, scribbled a note and quietly left the apartment to go to the nearest animal shelter.

The morning was humid, with the sun starting to light up the sky and Zuko mentally thanked himself for c hoosing to wear a hoodie  _ and  _ a jacket. It was still autumn but there was a chilling breeze blowing against him and he didn't have the heating of Sokka's car.

The walk to the shelter took a little while, despite his quick steps on the empty street. A tad bit of worry slipped into his mind, should he call Sokka and tell him there was a possibility he found Appa? He shook his head, that could wait. Zuko didn't want to excite Sokka, who would probably tell Aang, to then smash their hopes if he turned out wrong.

When a sign with a paw on the next block showed up, he widened his eyes and rushed his steps. 

The store on the outside looked normal, with clear walls and a window displaying bright squeaky toys. With his heart on his hand, Zuko walked in. Behind the counter, there was a clerk with a sand colored uniform, who looked at Zuko with a surprised expression.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" He stuttered.

"I was told you found a st. Bernard yesterday, can I see him?”

The clerk seemed to be more surprised at the fact the Zuko came in as soon as the shelter was open, than the fact that he was asking about a dog.

"Yes, you can," the clerk replied as he grabbed a keychain from a drawer behind the counter. "We picked him up near the school after someone reported him and I'm afraid you will have to wait a couple of days if you want him, the owner might still come around."

Zuko didn't say anything as he followed the clerk through a long hall with doors on both sides, hope digging a hole inside his chest. He couldn't avoid holding his breath when the clerk stopped in front of a door and swiftly opened it.

"We keep the dogs here for a few days, so they can get used to the place before introducing them to other dogs," the clerk explained.

Zuko understood clearly what he said, the room was small but it had a lot of pillows and a gentle purple color on the walls. There was also a big, fluffy dog laying down in the middle of it, which made Zuko let out a sigh of relief.

Appa.

The st. Bernard got up and wagged his tail, to then walk up to Zuko and promptly start smelling him. He crouched down and patted his head. "This is my friend's dog." 

The clerk crossed his arms over his chest and apologetically looked at Zuko. "I'm sorry, kid, but you can't just walk away with him. I have to ask you for proof, like a purchase certificate or a vaccines record."

"But this is Appa," Zuko replied as he pointed at the dog.

Yes, the st. Bernard had no collar but when Zuko had been looking for him yesterday, Aang showed him a picture. Appa clearly had a shape on his back that roughly resembled an arrow and the dog that kept smelling Zuko had the exact same shape.

He held in a groan and sighed instead. "Alright, I'll call my friend."

Zuko patted Appa's head one last time and walked back to the front of the shelter, which had a couple of non-matching sofas and thick magazines on a low table between them.

The truth was that he didn't have Aang's number, so Sokka was his only option. Their chat had been barely used, so little it embarrassed Zuko sometimes, his words were too formal and he just talked to Sokka when he had to let him know something about the tutoring or ask him a question about an exercise he couldn't understand.

Sokka might even be sleeping, Zuko thought with a little guilt. Nevertheless, he texted him.

_ Hi.  _

_ I know you may be sleeping but I found Appa. _

Zuko was about to ask Sokka to call him after he woke up when an incoming call showed up on the screen, a clear 'Sokka  🏧 ' on display.

"Hello?"

"You found Appa?" Sokka yelled. Zuko grimaced and briefly put away the phone from his ear. "Where are you?"

"I'm at a shelter near my apartment, I can send you the address."

A loud thud and a groan were heard from the other side of the line. "Yes, do that. I'm on my way."

Zuko didn't have time to reply because Sokka hung up without another word, the question of what Sokka was doing awake so early in the morning lingered in the back of Zuko's mind. After he texted the address, a yawn escaped from his mouth and the rational part of him also wondered what was  _ he  _ doing at this hour on a Saturday morning.

Zuko leaned into the couch and closed his eyes, a calm filling him from the inside. Maybe now he could let go of the worry of finding Appa and then sleep until the next day, or at least until Uncle Iroh woke him up to eat something. His math homework was done and on the weekends he only worked on the Jasmine Dragon if he wanted to or if Uncle Iroh asked. Zuko could try to relax.

Soon, the outside blurred and sleep weighed down his body, tiredness and peace taking over. 

A loud voice suddenly jolted him awake, he frantically looked around, shortly forgetting where he was. Big blue eyes showed up in front of his face.

"Are you awake, Sleeping Beauty?" Sokka said.

Zuko blinked a couple of times and focused his sight, then he hummed a vague answer to Sokka, who let out a laugh. The loud voice reached his ears again, followed by a squeak of joy and then a bark coming from the hall.

Aang, dressed in a pajama set with cloud motifs and his orange jacket, was dragging the clerk to where the barks were heard. Zuko's attention quickly drifted back to Sokka when he sat down on the couch beside Zuko.

"You look like you didn't sleep much last night."

Zuko hadn't looked in the mirror that morning, but he was sure he didn't look like he had eight hours of deep sleep. But Sokka didn't look any better, he had dark circles under his eyes and his skin looked dry, the only difference is that Sokka had a teasing grin on his face and Zuko had a scowl only a tea of Uncle Iroh's tea could take off.

"Yeah, neither do you," Zuko replied as he closed his eyes again and let his head fall back.

"I don't know what you're talking about because I'm fresh as a lettuce," Zuko could perfectly hear the smile in Sokka's voice.

"Yeah, right."

Sokka had just closed his eyes and leaned into the couch when Aang appeared again, with Appa happily wagging his tail behind him. He signed a few papers on the counter and then walked over to Zuko.

"Thank you so much, Zuko," he started with an immense gratitude in his eyes. "I don't even want to think about what I would do without Appa. Seriously, I don't know how to pay you back."

Zuko offered Aang a tired smile. "It's alright, Aang, you don't have to pay me back." The boy in pajamas gave him an exasperated look, Zuko sighed. "Okay, maybe you could do my math homework next week."

A laugh escaped Zuko's mouth when Sokka, still with his eyes closed, jabbed on him on the side with his elbow. Then, Sokka sharply inhaled and got up.

"Alright, Sleeping Beauty, get up," he said as he stretched his arms over his head. "We can give you a lift."

Zuko kept the tired smile on his lips as the four of them walked to the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you can't see the emoji besides Sokka's contact in Zuko's phone, it's a calculator and Sokka put it there.
> 
> TMI: in Sokka's phone, Zuko is just Zuko but with a little crown besides it because of the picture at Uncle Iroh's apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko slept all the weekend and indeed, only left his room to eat some cookies he baked because he was bored and craved something sweet. He mourned for the calm in his mind on Monday morning, when the alarm blasted his ears.

Monday went great. Aang's entire existence was beaming with happiness, which made Katara only ignore Zuko instead of glaring at him and he only got one quarter of homework wrong.

Tuesday went even better. Sokka convinced Aang to try out for the cheerleading team and Suki passed by the Jasmine Dragon and lent Zuko a history book he had been looking for ages.

Wednesday was when everything went downhill. 

It started alright though. Zuko woke up earlier than usual so he got to make himself a hot cup of tea before going to school. He got a good grade in English and he was excited because in the afternoon, Sokka was going to teach him some geometry, which he said didn't involve all that much calculus.

A spark of disappointment sat inside Zuko's chest when Suki arrived at their spot under the tree, where Aang and Katara already were, saying Sokka was in a meeting with the baseball team and couldn't have lunch with them. 

Zuko pushed the feeling away as he focused on the way Aang narrated how his friend Toph reacted when she heard the story about Zuko finding Appa. Zuko told himself it was fine, he was going to see Sokka in a couple of hours so he had nothing to worry about.

His biology class, the last hours of his day passed by incredibly slowly, the clock not moving at all. He had a bad feeling, something in his gut just told him that an important thing was missing, that something had happened or was about to happen.

He brushed it off when the bell finally rang, quickly putting his things on his backpack and rushing out of the classroom to the side of the entrance of the school, where he and Sokka usually met.

Zuko didn't know why he always got nervous about this part. When he managed to arrive first and he had to wait for Sokka, Zuko kept his cool on the inside but his heart was pounding just a little faster than usual while his fingers fidgeted with the strings of his hoodie. Maybe an unconscious part of him thought that one day Sokka wasn't going to show up.

Zuko feared that that day had arrived. He waited for five minutes, it was fine, anyone could do that. He waited ten minutes, when most of the students were already walking home and clearing the parking lot. After fifteen minutes passed, he decided he should call Sokka.

He searched in the pocket of his hoodie, and then in the pockets of his pants. The familiar shape of his phone was nowhere to be found. 

His heartbeat shot up as he crouched down on the ground to search in his backpack, it wasn't the first time he left it there. Panic slipped into his veins when he put his backpack upside down and let everything fall to the ground. No, this couldn't be happening.

He looked around his things and searched again on his clothes, then he buried his face in his hands and muffled a scream. Out of all the things that could happen to him, he had to lose his phone.

Zuko sat down on the concrete, wondering how he could be so careless. Not even a year had passed since Uncle Iroh bought him the phone, after losing the previous one. They didn't exactly have money to spare, how on Earth was Zuko going to get another phone? 

A terrifying possibility ran through his mind. No, he wasn't going to do that, he still had some basic self-preservation sense left.

Zuko deeply sighed and settled on waiting for Sokka a little longer, Zuko couldn't just leave without letting him know first. After the first half hour trying to stop his mind from running a thousand thoughts per minute, he got up and went to search for Sokka around the school. 

With every place he checked, the library, the cafeteria, the gym, the panic of the previous situation diminished, quickly replaced by anger. Yes, Zuko didn't have his phone but he had been waiting for almost an hour outside on the place they always met, and if Sokka had an inconvenience, he always let Zuko know with at least a day's notice.

Zuko huffed and walked away from the bathrooms, gripping tightly the straps of his backpack. Wherever Sokka was, he could wait. Screw Wednesday math, Zuko had a serious matter to worry about.

Stomping on the sidewalk, he went home. Every passing minute, made Zuko's chest tighten a little more, how was he going to get a new phone? He stared at the ground as he walked, he could tell Uncle Iroh and put a weight on him or he could ask someone, maybe Mai, to lend him some money to buy a new one or he could learn to live without a phone until he had saved enough.

That's how the way to the apartment went, his mind chasing possible answers and eventually deciding that the best option right now was to go to sleep and face reality some other day.

He noticed the familiar street from the corner of his eye, then the small fruit stall Uncle Iroh liked to buy from in the mornings and then, at the end of the block, the entrance to his building.

A figure in blue was seated on the steps of the door, Zuko's steps staggered. It had been more than an hour since classes had finished and he had mostly calmed down but anger came back in full force, he clenched his fists and rushed his steps. He started yelling when he was still a few feet away from Sokka.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka, who had been staring at the cars passing by, quickly looked up. "I waited for you for almost an hour!"

Sokka widened his eyes in shock but he recovered in a second and stood up.

"What am I doing here?" He asked in an incredulous tone while pointing at his own chest to then poke at Zuko's. "I've been waiting for  _ you  _ to show up! I left you at least thirty texts and ten phone calls, where have  _ you  _ been?”

Zuko slapped Sokka's hand from his chest. "I was waiting for you at school, in the place I always wait!"

"Why didn't you look at your phone?" Sokka shouted back.

"Because I lost my phone!"

Zuko's face was red with anger and he wanted nothing more than to punch something. Sokka looked at him with an exasperated expression and then spoke in a dangerously low voice.

"You've got to be kidding me"

"I wish," Zuko huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Sokka looked him in the eye and spoke very slowly. "Out of all the days you could've lost your phone, you chose today."

"You think I chose to lose my phone?" Zuko screamed.

Sokka covered his face with his hands and deeply inhaled, clearly in an effort to swallow down his anger. After a few seconds under Zuko's gaze, he threw his hands in the air in defeat and sighed.

"Fine," Sokka looked around before making eye contact with Zuko again. "Look, it's been a rough day. I'm starving, Haru sprained his ankle today and I have an incoming headache. Can we just please go inside and get it over with?"

Some rage was still burning inside Zuko but Sokka's tired eyes told him that he wasn't the only one who had a rough day. He sighed and nodded to then enter the building beside them, both walking with heavy steps.

⏳

"Zuko, it's literally just the area of a square. What is it?"

Sokka's annoyed voice pulled Zuko out of his trance. He had been staring at the white sheet of paper on his lap for a few minutes now, but the numbers or formula were not clicking in his brain. 

After Sokka explained he had to accompany Haru, one of his baseball teammates, to the hospital because he injured his ankle and then came straight to Zuko's apartment, they began doing what they were there to do but Zuko's mind stubbornly refused to cooperate.

Sokka noticed Zuko was having trouble focusing so he gave him two dimensional figures to solve first, those Zuko had done before, but it was useless. Zuko had been fidgeting with his pen and glaring at the square, completely oblivious to Sokka's gaze on him. 

He looked up when Sokka spoke again.

"You've been staring at it for like five minutes. You may not be the best at math yet but you've done this before so whatever's bothering you, it must be serious, what is it?"

A blush crawled up Zuko's cheeks, was he really that obvious? It was true he hadn't been able to focus but he thought if he just tried hard enough, the numbers would suddenly make sense in his head. 

It was stupid, really. For anyone else, it would be a trivial reason to be upset or worried, why was he making such a big deal of it? He stared at Sokka with wide eyes, wanting to tell him but wondering how he could say it without sounding so superficial.

"Zuko."

Sokka both sounded and looked worried, pressing Zuko slightly to let him know that he could trust Sokka if he decided to tell him what was wrong. Something got squeezed in Zuko's chest when Sokka leaned his head to the side in an asking manner.

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes. "I lost my phone."

Sokka's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I know but," he stared cautiously, to then speak in a casual tone, "you can get another right?"

"No, I can't!"

Zuko didn't mean to let out his frustration on Sokka, but he couldn't stop it. He threw his copybook over the bed and buried his face on his hands.

"I can't."

"Can I ask why not?"

Sokka tried to speak in an understanding and gentle voice, like Katara when they were younger, but he must have missed the tone and sounded extremely confused because Zuko threw him a desperate look.

"Because this is the third phone I've lost in less than three years." Zuko's voice was distressed and his words were rushed. "The one I just lost was the one Uncle bought me, after I lost the previous one, which I spent all my savings in and Uncle bought the one before those two. I can't keep spending his money in something as stupid as a phone!"

Zuko let out a loud groan of frustration and hid his face on his hands again, something tightened in his throat. How could he be so careless, so blind and so ungrateful?

A soft 'oh' fell out of Sokka's mouth.

"I'm sorry, that sucks," he said and moved his hand in the direction of Zuko's shoulder but quickly drew it back. "I don't know your uncle very well but I think he'll understand if you told him."

Zuko sighed as he stared at his hands. "It's not like I have a choice."

And it was true, Uncle Iroh would notice he didn't have a phone sooner rather than later, especially with his tendency to often call Zuko and ask how his day was going. Zuko knew him, of course Uncle Iroh would understand and would try to get him a phone as quickly as possible but that didn't make Zuko feel any less guilty about the whole situation. He would just have to tell Uncle Iroh when he arrived, asking why he didn't pick up his phone.

Unless...

Zuko shook his head, there was no way he was doing that. He appreciated his own life, thank you very much.

And yet...

He couldn't push the thought aside, the idea already wrapped around his head with a rope and tugging with all the force of recklessness. Or stupidity, depending on how you looked at it.

"I know that look," Sokka said, Zuko lifted his eyes and saw a spark of excitement swimming in Sokka's eyes. "You have an idea and you're terrified of it, spit it out."

"No," Zuko replied in a sharp voice, he wasn't going to involve Sokka in his family drama. "It's dangerous, you're not coming."

"Coming where?" 

"I said no."

"Oh, come on, Zuko!" Sokka's eyes sparkled and followed Zuko, who got up from the bed and paced around his room. "I can help! It's not like you're planning to rob a store or something."

Zuko halted his steps near the door, briefly wondering if Sokka would keep tutoring him if Zuko kicked him out. He hated the idea and hated himself even more for letting Sokka go with him but Zuko wasn't that stupid, he knew he couldn't do this alone. He deeply breathed in and then looked at Sokka.

"We're breaking into my dad's house."

Silence.

If Sokka looked confused when Zuko told him he couldn't get a phone, now he looked absolutely lost, opening and closing his mouth and barely moving at all. Minutes must have passed when Sokka spoke again.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yes, I did, I just think I heard wrong."

"You didn't," Zuko replied in a deadpan voice, a plan already forming in his head.

"Okay," Sokka held up his hands facing Zuko, as if he could stop Zuko from talking and let him process the information. "So, you're saying we're going to break into your dad's house?"

"And Azula's, yes."

Sokka shushed him and continued. "For a phone?"

"It's kind of a long story," Zuko sighed and then shrugged.

Sokka carelessly gathered all the studying material from the bed and dropped them on the floor, to then lean on the pillows and lace his hands together over his chest. "I think we have time, because if I'm going to help you break in someone's house, I deserve to read, or listen in this case, to the mission file."

When he finished, Sokka patted the spot beside him on the bed but Zuko didn't move from his place near the door.

"I ran away when I was fourteen,"  _ if being kicked out and not coming back counts as running away _ . He crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to let a single emotion show on his face, Sokka didn't change his neutral expression either. "I left my phone that night and some of my stuff is still there so there's a chance the phone is too."

He breathed out as slowly as he could as Sokka nodded. Zuko mentally thanked him for not giving him a pitiful look and instead acted like they were still talking about math.

"Alright," Sokka breathed in and seemed to think for a few seconds, then he huffed a laugh. "Well, I guess I'll have to call Katara and tell her I may not make it for dinner."

That sparked a thought in Zuko's mind. "I can get you something."

"Oh, no," Sokka replied as he smiled and waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"You haven't eaten since breakfast. If we're gonna commit crime, you’ll need some energy."

Zuko didn't have Sokka time to reply, because he quickly left his room to go to the kitchen with Sokka's light steps behind him.

"Seriously, it's fine," he insisted.

Zuko looked at him dead in the eye right when Sokka's body betrayed him, a growl coming from his stomach. 

"Yeah, right," Zuko said. "Uncle Iroh would kill me if I let someone starve here, so shut up and go sit down."

"Fine!"

Sokka threw his hands in the air and angrily took a cookie from a jar in the kitchen counter. The second he bit it, his eyes widened and nearly let the rest of the cookie fall from his hand.

"Where the hell did you get this? They're too good to be true!" He quickly opened the jar again and grabbed two more cookies.

Zuko focused on taking out things out of the fridge as he felt his cheeks heat up.

"I made them," he mumbled.

"They're delicious, you should make more," Sokka replied and then shoved an entire cookie in his mouth.

A few moments later, Sokka had a sandwich and the last cookie on his hands while Zuko was awkwardly standing in the middle of the living room, not quite daring to sit beside Sokka in the small couch but the hungry boy spared him and began to talk himself.

"Alright, Remy," he said as he took a big bite of his sandwich, "how are we gonna do this? What's the plan?"

Zuko scratched his head, he hadn't quite thought that ahead but he had an idea of where to start. "I have to call Mai and ask her everything she knows, because there's no way I'm calling Azula."

Sokka rapidly nodded as he searched in his pocket, then he handed Zuko his phone, who let a second of hesitation pass before accepting it. Zuko typed down Mai's number and called.

With his heart on his hand, he silently begged the universe that Mai picked up, he had no idea what he would do if she didn't. Sokka opened his mouth to speak just when Zuko heard a voice from the other side of the line.

"Hello?"

"Mai! Hi."

A deep sigh came from the phone. "What is it? What do you want?"

Zuko's eyebrows furrowed. Mai had never been good at expressing her emotions and was overall very honest, borderline blunt, but she had never spoken to Zuko in such an exasperated tone. Sometimes tired of him but exasperated, almost mad? Never.

He turned his back to Sokka, trying to fight back the doubt from slipping into his mind. "I was wondering if you knew how much of my stuff is still at my dad's house?"

"Most, if not all, of it," Mai sounded angry at this point. "Zuko, this is really not the time."

It was dark outside, the moon and the stars visible from the window in the living room but that had never stopped Mai before. Zuko was about to ask if something had happened when a muffled shout coming from the other side of the line stopped him, not loud enough to understand it but he was once friends with that high pitched voice.

"Is that Ty Lee? Mai, is everything alright?"

Worry sat on his chest, Mai sighed again. "No, Zuko, it's not, but are you done?"

"Mai — "

The line fell silent, Zuko's hand gripped tightly the phone and worry and confusion filled his mind and his heart. He turned around and handed the phone back to Sokka, who was looking at him with barely hidden curiosity. "How did that go?"

Zuko slowly inhaled.

"I don't know," his words couldn't be more true, his face was blank and his heart was debating whether to be worried or excited, "but the good news is that most of my stuff is still at the house."

"That's great." Sokka must have noticed the frown on Zuko’s face and his downcast look because he didn't speak as cheerfully as he could have. Then, he brushed the crumbs from his hands and stood up. "Well then, we should get ready because you might want to be out of here before your uncle arrives."

Zuko widened his eyes and tripped with the coffee table as he ran to his room.

⏳

The night was dark and the streets were busy, Zuko and Sokka walking side by side to the nearest bus stop. The house of Zuko's father, Ozai, wasn't anywhere near Uncle Iroh's apartment and Zuko wouldn't have it any other way, but due to that and the fact that they weren't going to go to Sokka's house just to get the car, they had to take the bus.

Sokka, who only had a shirt and a thin blue jacket on, was too undressed for Zuko's liking, so at the bus stop when a cold wind messed up all of his hair, he asked.

"Aren't you cold?"

Zuko himself wasn't cold, but that was only because he had a long sleeved shirt and a thick hoodie on.

"Me?" Sokka answered after a laugh. "I mean my hands are freezing and my nose is cold too, but I don't really mind."

Zuko stared at him slightly afraid.

He didn't have time to reply, due to the bus suddenly arriving. They got in and sat down at the back of the vehicle, with Zuko at the window and stayed quiet for a few minutes, silently staring at the street lights and faceless people passing by. 

"So, who's Mai?" Sokka asked in a casual tone.

Zuko looked at him dumbfounded, hadn't he talked about Mai? 

"Oh, she's my friend,"  _ my only and best _ , "although she's more Azula's friend than mine."

Sokka nodded, satisfied with the answer, but Zuko thought it fell short to all Mai was and meant to him.

"We're childhood friends," he continued, his eyes focused on the outside. "She was the only one that kept in touch with me after I ran away."

Zuko feared some uncertainty slipped in his voice but Sokka hummed in acknowledgement as he looked through the window as well.

"She was Azula's friend first and she used to have a crush on me, I guess that's why she reached out but she got over it and by the time that happened, we managed to build a friendship."

Zuko sighed, that still failed to cover how much of an amazing person Mai was. She was smart, strong and had supported Zuko through ups and downs; besides Uncle Iroh, all those years ago, when fear crippled in Zuko's mind and didn't even let him get out of bed, Mai had been the one there. Why did words always fail him when trying to say something important?

"How come I've never seen her? I think I'd remember if I saw you hanging out with a girl," Sokka asked.

Zuko tried not to think about the implications of Sokka's comment and limited himself to just answer the question. "She doesn't study at our school, her parents didn't let her but she often comes to hang out. You must have seen her though at some point, she has come to school when Azula had a game or Ty Lee was cheerleading."

"What does she look like?"

"Tall, dark hair, doesn't smile a lot."

That seemed to click on Sokka's brain because he gasped and started to frantically move his hands in the air. "Is she like the gloomy and moody girl I've seen Ty Lee hang out with?"

"Yes." Who else could it be?

Sokka loudly clapped and laughed, his body softly shaking beside Zuko. After a minute, Sokka's breathing had calmed down. "She's like a female version of you."

And he promptly started to laugh again, Zuko couldn't stop his eyebrows from furrowing.

"I'm not gloomy and moody!"

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, Buttercup."

Zuko's expression must have been way too serious, because Sokka stopped laughing and softly pushed Zuko's shoulder with his own.

"I'm kidding, you're not moody," he said and then grinned with mischief. "You're just a little bit gloomy when nobody's looking."

Zuko slapped Sokka's thigh, who brought his leg to his chest and kept laughing. A part of Zuko wanted to be upset but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from rising up.

By the time they had to get down of the bus, silence had settled between them and the people had stopped wandering the streets. Nerves churned Zuko's stomach with every step he took, grown to dislike this part of the city.

You could clearly see how the streets were cleaner, the grass had less dirt patches and expensive restaurants were still open. The bus stop didn't have any graffiti and the sidewalk didn't have a single crack on sight.

"Zuko," Sokka said as he looked around at the park they had stopped in, "when we're done, you better direct me home because I have no idea where I am."

"Of course."

Zuko still had the address of the house of his nightmares engraved with fire in his mind but he easily understood Sokka didn't, who deeply inhaled and pointed at the sidewalk in front of them.

"Alright then, lead the way."

The street was too silent, even for Zuko's liking. Sokka walked beside him, a steady presence on his left but that didn't stop Zuko's hands from sweating. 

They soon passed all the small stores on the way and arrived at a residential area, Sokka tried not to let the impression show too much on his face. The houses were all big, front yards proudly displaying perfectly cut bushes and colorful flowers.

Zuko's steps slowed down as they got closer to the end of the street, and completely stopped when they reached a tall, black metal fence, sharp spikes pointing up at the sky. Even if Sokka had trouble seeing the wide yard between the fence and the house, he could tell the house was huge. It was painted in white and had two floors, although it was a bit taller; it must have a high roof or an attic, he thought. All the ridges and edges were perfectly straight and only a single light was coming from the second floor.

Zuko's heart was running so fast he thought it would come out of his chest at any moment, but there was no turning back now. 

"Please, tell me you're not planning to climb a fence," Sokka whispered. "I promised Katara I would come back in one piece. Oh, don't tell me you have dogs too!"

"Dad hates animals and no, I'm not climbing a fence.” Zuko paused, his next words struggled to get out of his mouth. “We're just gonna walk in."

"What?" Sokka hissed.

Zuko searched in his pocket and held up a keychain with only two golden keys in it, and for something so light, he felt like they weighed a ton.

"Let's just pray they didn't change the lock." Sokka gasped in understanding, then Zuko slowly inhaled. "Okay, here's the plan. Dad's not here but Azula is and even if she's not likely to check, we can't take chances. As soon as I open the fence, we run and hide in the bushes over there, the security lights will turn on so we'll have to wait until they turn off. Then we'll enter the house as quietly as we can, go up to my room, take the phone and get out."

Sokka nodded all the time while Zuko explained the plan, gaze locked on his, determination and fierceness fixed on his eyes. Then, he grinned and spoke confidently.

"Alright, let's get it."

With light steps, they rushed to the lock of the fence. Despite the slight trembling of Zuko's hand and air barely going through his lungs, he put in the key and turned. 

The huge pressure in his chest disappeared when the fence smoothly opened, then he crossed eyes with Sokka and gave him a single nod.

Zuko deeply breathed in.

_ One. _

_ Two. _

_ Three. _

In a heartbeat, his feet left the ground and ran through the grass, adrenaline rapidly slipping into his veins, Sokka's fast steps behind him. Suddenly, a flash of white blinded Zuko, almost making him trip, but he swiftly slid on the yard and crashed against the bushes. 

He felt Sokka crash against him, yet he barely paid attention to it. Zuko's eyes were closed and gripped tightly the earth under him, in an effort to stop his pulse from keep hammering in his ears. His heart was about to come out of his mouth when suddenly, a bang made him flinch.

"Isn't that your friend?"

Zuko opened his eyes at Sokka's words and looked to where he was pointing at, his breath was caught up in his throat and confusion filled his mind.

"Mai."

Mai was angrily walking down the steps of the porch, a deep frown on her face and her fists clenched. She kept stomping all the way to the fence, and Zuko panicked for a second, but Mai didn't even seem to notice it was open because she swinged the fence open and left.

Zuko's mouth was wide open, shock plastered on his face. 

Mai had a resting poker face, rarely showing what she was feeling but now, she looked like she would stab anyone who stood on her way. To say Zuko was confused and worried was an understatement.

"Is she always like that?" 

Sokka's curious voice brought him back to reality.

Zuko sighed. "Never."

He looked in the direction Mai just left and then at the house, the light in Azula's room still on. Zuko had just managed to calm down his rapid heart when the darkness fell upon them again, Sokka’s bright eyes stared at him in a silent question.

Zuko nodded once again and got up, eyes locked on the entrance of the house. Sokka pressed his back against the wall to look at the yard as Zuko put the key in the doorknob, sweat and tremor making everything ten times harder.

He held his breath as he slowly turned the knob, Sokka's stare burning holes through him. The door smoothly opened and Zuko let his head hang between his shoulders for a few seconds before entering the house.

It scared Zuko how much the inside had changed so such and nothing all at the same time, even after all of these years. The walls still had that perfect white color, the living room still had perfectly arranged furniture and it still had a fake fruity smell that made Zuko's nose itch. The house still had the impersonal aura Zuko hated, despite the paintings and the fake plants. All of the warmth had left with his mother, including the one inside him.

Sokka lightly tapped him in the shoulder. Right, they had a mission.

Zuko shook his head and looked ahead, the stairs to the second floor and the bedrooms a few feet away from them. He walked to them as fast and as quietly as he could, holding his breath and keeping his eyes and ears open.  He internally thanked the universe for that fact the steps were covered in carpet, so for a few seconds they didn't have to worry about making noise, Zuko's heartbeat was loud enough. 

The doors on the hallway in front of him were all closed, suddenly muffled voices came from Azula's room. Zuko froze and briefly closed eyes, begging luck didn't betray them now. Then with quick steps he dashed across the hallway, opened the door of his old room and rushed inside, Sokka on his heels.

Zuko closed the door as fast he could and then leaned his forehead on it, a hand covering his mouth to stop his breathing from being too loud. Sokka let out a quiet and airy laugh.

"I can't believe we did it!" He whispered.

Zuko slowly breathed in and turned around to inspect the room. The darkness inside didn't let him see a thing but the outlines could be seen thanks to the faint moonlight coming through the window. The walls were stripped from anything that marked someone used to live there, the bed was neatly made and the desk had some books perfectly stacked.

"This doesn't look like your room at all," Sokka commented.

Zuko didn't reply, he already knew what Sokka was referring to. His room at Uncle Iroh's apartment looked like a normal teenager's room, with the bed sometimes unmade, mugs on the nightstand he forgot to take to the kitchen and a messy desk full of notes and pens. The room they were in had none of that, it just had the same cold aura of the rest of the house.

He sighed, "It never was."

Sokka paused and threw him an unreadable look, then he rubbed his hands together as he glanced around the room. "Well, where's your phone?"

Right, the phone. Zuko stopped looking around and then walked to the desk, crouched down and opened all the drawers until he reached the third, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. There it was, a small and old phone, with just a fine layer of dust; he shook his head as a laugh threatened to come out of his mouth, he couldn't believe that was still there.

Zuko held it tightly and walked to the door, Sokka already with a hand on the doorknob. He was about to open the door when an angry shout made them freeze.

"Take that back, Azula! You don't mean that!"

"What do you know? Maybe I do."

Zuko's heart completely stopped in his chest, all his senses back on edge. Sokka's eyes were wide open and his knuckles white from gripping the knob and then he looked at Zuko, with a serious and fearful question in his eyes.

He swallowed past the knot on his throat and nodded, trying his best not to let fear show in his eyes. That was Azula and Ty Lee in the other room, not his father.

Holding his breath, Sokka slowly opened the door and stepped into the hall, Zuko following him closely. They reached the stairs when Ty Lee spoke again.

"You know what? You're a coward, why can't you just face reality and answer me?"

Zuko's couldn't stop the surprise from taking over his face and something tightening in his chest. Ty Lee's voice sounded so strained, so broken. Something Zuko had never heard in his life, Ty Lee had been friends with Azula ever since they were children, she always jumped around in excitement and almost exploded out of joy when she joined the cheerleading team. Zuko shook in head in disapproval as he walked down the stairs, what could possibly Azula say to make Ty Lee cry?

"Me?" Azula yelled when they reached the living room. "You're the one who should face reality and stop imagining things like a fool!"

"I'm not imagining things, these are my feelings!"

The voices were every time more muffled but suddenly Azula's next words sounded too clear and too loud, as if she had opened the door of her room.

"Then I don't want your feelings in my house! Get out!"

Zuko's entire body froze, his brain shutting down for a second to then run as fast as it could when he heard loud steps coming down the stairs. 

He didn't think, he couldn't do that at all, as he grabbed Sokka's hand and dragged him to the nearest room in a flash. Zuko opened the door and stepped inside, praying Azula couldn't hear how hard his heart was pounding against his chest.

Sokka opened his mouth but Zuko put a hand over it and pressed his body into the wall, the door was only half closed; if they moved, they might get caught. Zuko felt how Sokka's chest barely moved against his, a loud bang near the front of the house made them flinch.

Suddenly, there was no more noise in the house, not a soul making a single sound. A deep sigh came from near the front door.

They were just a few feet away from their exit, mere steps away from escaping this nightmare house, why couldn't have they walked out his room earlier? Why couldn't have they moved faster? 

Later, Zuko could've swore the next seconds were the most terrifying moment of his life. His frustration completely stopped as panic filled his veins and a chill ran down his spine when Sokka's phone shattered the silence of the night.


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko quickly let Sokka go, who frantically searched for his phone on his clothes. By the time he declined the call it was already too late, the house fell back in complete silence. 

A cold sweat dripped down Zuko's back and the sudden urge to cry clawed inside of him, the darkness of the room was swallowing him alive. What the hell were they supposed to do? He looked at Sokka, who had the exact same terrified look he had, only that Sokka also had an immense guilt swimming in his eyes.

Azula wasn't a fool, she wouldn't say hello or ask who was there, she would straight up grab a knife from the kitchen and karate to the ground whoever she found. They had to think fast, only seconds were left before Azula found them. 

Zuko forced his fingers and feet to respond to him, broke his head searching for a solution, something had to be done but nothing came to him, they were doomed. 

Suddenly, an idea flashed before his eyes and for a quick second, he kicked it aside, that was way crazier than this entire plan but what other choice did they have? It's not like he could think of anything else. Zuko called Sokka's attention by lightly tapping his cheek, to then point in the direction of the door and rise three shaky fingers.

_ Run _ , he mouthed.

Sokka's eyes widened to the point Zuko thought they would come out of their sockets and his expression clearly said he thought Zuko had completely lost his mind.

_ One _ , Zuko mouthed as he put a finger down, looking straight into Sokka's eyes.

_ Two. _

Sokka was frantically shaking his head and then grabbed Zuko's hand to stop him from putting down his last finger.

Zuko glanced at the living room, a shadow was slowly walking their way.

_ Three. _

As fast as he could, he grabbed Sokka's hand and pushed the door. 

Everything happened too fast, noise filled the house again as he rushed to the door, his heartbeat banging in his ears. He saw Azula in the corner of his eyes but he pushed her aside and ran, the door swiftly opened and suddenly they were running to the fence, their feet stomping loudly on the grass.

Zuko faintly heard Azula scream his name but he didn't care, he couldn't stop running, no matter what he couldn't go back into that house. He barely noticed Sokka's presence beside him, his chest and legs burned but time and space blurred, as if he couldn't tell the line between five years ago and the present.

He ran and ran and only stopped when Sokka took his hand and almost made him trip. Zuko's mind was running a hundred thoughts per second, thousands of scenarios flashing before his eyes. The reality of what he had just done hitting him all at one.

He stared at the ground, his eyes blind to the grass under his shoes and his ears deaf to Sokka's euphoric scream.

"I can't believe I just broke into someone's house and got out on my feet!"

It was hard to breathe, fears long buried squeezed Zuko's chest. 

Azula had seen them, Azula had seen  _ him _ . She knew they had entered the house, the place he was banished from and promised himself to never return to. Azula was going to tell their dad. She was going to accuse him to Ozai and Zuko may not live to see the light of day.

He covered his face with his hands, firmly pressing his palms against his eyes in an effort to keep the tears in. He bit his lip so hard it hurt and his lungs weren't responding to him, air was coming way too fast out of Zuko's mouth.

"Zuko? Are you okay?"

Sokka's concerned voice flew right past Zuko's head. No, he was very much not okay. Terror clenched every single fiber of his being and made his heart sink, Azula was going to tell their dad and there was nothing Zuko could do about it. He may die in the next few days, but his chest felt too tight, he might as well choke and drop dead right now.

"Zuko, can you talk to me?"

He vaguely registered a light touch on his shoulder.

"Please, Zuko, breathe."

He couldn't see Sokka but the worry in his voice was clear enough, and yet Zuko couldn't answer, nothing came out of his mouth. He frantically shook his head, he didn't want to do anything, he wanted to go home or even better, disappear.

He flinched when cold fingers softly grabbed his hands to pull them away from his face, but then he tightly shut his eyes and faced the ground. 

"Zuko, please, tell me what's wrong." Sokka's voice was pleading.

Zuko swallowed past the huge knot on his throat and slowly shook his head.

"Azula is going to tell dad we got into the house," his voice was strained and it barely came out as nothing more than a whisper.

Sokka let out a small sound of surprise and slightly frowned. "And that's not good, isn't it?" 

Zuko suddenly took back his hands from Sokka and sat down, the cold and wetness from the grass under him slipped through his clothes, grounding him. Then, he put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands again.

Some time must have passed when Sokka finally sat down next to him, figuring out that words probably weren't going to fix something as complicated as what Zuko was going through. Even more time seemed to pass by the moment Zuko calmed down his breathing, his heartbeat lightly pounding in his head, he breathed in as slowly as he could.

"I was kicked out of the house."

Zuko looked up at the empty street in front of him, realizing they were seated at the end of the park they stopped at when they arrived. If he squinted his eyes, he could see the bus stop in the distance. Zuko noticed Sokka’s stare on him from the corner of his eye.

"I didn't run away, my dad kicked me out," Zuko sighed as he closed his eyes, he couldn't leave Sokka in the dark. He didn't deserve it and after all they went through that night, what was the point of keeping hiding it?

Sokka let out a small nervous laugh. "Damn, I… I don't know what to say."

Of course he didn't, Zuko thought. Sokka's father loved him.

Even if Zuko had never seen him because he was rarely home due to his job, Zuko had seen the picture frames and despite not always having the best things, Sokka and Katara had everything they needed and some more. Zuko knew Hakoda loved his children to death and was a good father.

On the flip side, he knew that his own father, Ozai, never loved him.

Ozai was a businessman, someone with pride, ambition and an ability to make people follow him and from the moment Zuko was born, he realized his son didn't have a single characteristic he appreciated. Zuko's mother, Ursa, on the other hand, always loved him just the way he was, always encouraged him and made sure none of his Ozai's critics got to him.

But then she disappeared. One day, she woke up Zuko in the middle of the night and hugged him so tight it hurt, telling him repeatedly she loved him but the next morning she was gone, taking with her all the life in the house and not leaving a single trace behind.

Zuko vaguely remembered that day but some parts stuck in his memory as if they were engraved with fire. Ozai had never been violent, or at least not until that point, always giving Zuko time to run to his room and lock the door but that day, something must have tipped over the glass.

Zuko had forgotten he left a test with a big, bright red mark on the living room table but when his father called him, he knew exactly the reason why. Azula's test happened to be beside his, only that hers had a very pretty blue mark, making Zuko's test look like he only got a point for writing his name.

Talking turned to screams, Zuko finally finding some courage to defend himself, that grade wasn't even his worst one but it must have been one of the biggest disgraces to his father because suddenly, silence fell upon them and Ozai coldly told him to get out of the house.

Zuko had heard the threat before but hearing the words coming from his dad's mouth that time felt different. He froze, Ozai was a man who never had to say things twice.

His father started to yell again, but the words weren't making sense in Zuko's head, was he really getting kicked out of the house? From one second to another, Ozai had grabbed a picture frame, which was the closest thing he had, and threw it at Zuko in rage.

If Zuko hadn't seen it coming, if he hadn't moved and raised his arms over his head, the frame would have hit right in the face, but he did, so the glass shattered against the wall above him.

He had barely been able to breathe and his heart was about to come out of his mouth when without a single word, Ozai walked to the kitchen but Zuko didn't stay to see what his father had gone to look for. His feet had moved on his own, his body wasn't responding to his brain when he opened the door and ran, not sparing a single glance back.

He ran and ran as if his life depended on it, he ran until his legs collapsed under him and then kept running, everything to be as far as he could from the place he hasn't set foot in ever since.

Only after, when he arrived at Uncle Iroh's apartment, Zuko realized he was injured. The glass of the broken frame had jumped far enough to hit his head and create little cuts on his scalp. Only one of them had fallen near his face, scratching him along the hairline and that was the only one that left a scar, because anxiety couldn't stop him from picking at the scab. It didn't really matter to Zuko, he grew out his hair and the problem was fixed.

A shiver brought him back to reality, Zuko slowly inhaled and stared at his hands.

"I never had the traits my father needed," he stared in a low voice, Sokka's gaze fixated on him. "I always liked history and literature, I like cooking and got along better with animals than with people. Azula was always good at math, does all kinds of sports and can trick people into liking her or fear her in a second, she's my father's prodigy.” Zuko plucked out a tiny clover from the ground. “Dad never liked me, I'm lucky he didn't switch me with another baby the moment I was born."

For once, Sokka seemed like he didn't know what to say and Zuko didn't really mind, what could he possibly say? Sokka stared with a frown on his face at the grass for a few minutes and then fiercely looked up at Zuko.

"Okay, first off," he raised his index finger, "your dad sounds like a real asshole."

Zuko huffed a laugh, "He is."

"And second, your dad doesn't  _ need _ those traits, Zuko, which have nothing wrong with them by the way, because you're not a pet, you're not a thing. You're his son and if he doesn't appreciate you, that's one hundred percent his problem, not yours."

Determination burned in Sokka's eyes, as if he needed to make sure Zuko understood his words and took them as a truth, not only some comfort chat. Zuko blinked, he had heard those words before, from Mai and Uncle Iroh, but the confidence in which Sokka said them was different. 

Zuko was completely speechless, but Sokka thankfully noticed and saved him from saying anything.

"You got that, right?" His voice was demanding yet soft, his eyes locked with Zuko's, who slowly nodded. "Good."

Then, Sokka leaned back until his body touched the grass and put his hands under his head, staring attentively at the night sky. Zuko decided to do the same. 

The sky was beautiful tonight and Zuko slowly drowned himself in it, letting the calm feeling of looking up instead of down take over his body. The moon was high and bright stars seemed like its only company, silence wrapped them around like a blanket. The grass tickled Zuko's fingers and air finally cleared up his lungs.

Zuko thought he could fall asleep if he lay there a little longer, his limbs were slowly losing the connection to his brain. He twisted his head to look at Sokka and saw that his blue eyes were closed, his chest going steadily going up and down. Zuko didn't know what time it was but he was sure it was late, it was school night and they were a long way from home.

He didn't want to wake up Sokka but people might be worried about them, he could even catch a cold. Zuko sat up, put a hand on Sokka's chest and softly shook him.

"Sokka."

A light vibration made Zuko quickly take away his hand, a smirk spread across Sokka's face.

"You think I fall asleep that easily?" 

Zuko debated if he should glare at Sokka or laugh but in the end, he stared at the empty street and sighed. "It's probably late, we should go home."

Sokka hummed in agreement but neither of them moved. A few minutes passed until Sokka rolled over and got up with a groan, then he stretched his arms over his head, as if he could reach the stars if only he stepped on his toes. He softly smiled down at Zuko.

"Lead the way," Sokka said as he offered Zuko a hand.

Together, they walked to the bus stop and after ten minutes, a bus finally showed up. They sat in the exact same seats as before, watching as the big houses and the fancy restaurants disappeared in the distance. A light suddenly from the corner of his eye caught Zuko's attention, he glanced to his left at Sokka looking down at his phone.

Zuko was suddenly wide awake. "Is that the hour?" 

_ 12: 56 a.m.,  _ told the corner of the phone's screen. 

Sokka jumped on his seat and looked with confusion at Zuko. "Yeah, is that too bad?"

"Oh, Uncle Iroh is going to kill me," Zuko answered as he frantically looked around the empty bus.

"I mean, Katara is going to kill me too," Sokka shrugged, "but they're probably just worried and we weren't doing anything bad."

Zuko threw him a deadpan look, Sokka pointed his index finger at him. "It was for a good cause."

Zuko raised his eyebrows and then huffed a laugh, he still couldn't believe what he had done. How was he going to explain all of this to Uncle Iroh? He stared out the window as Sokka answered Katara's rapidly incoming texts. When Sokka put his phone back in his pocket, Zuko realized something.

"I'm sorry for making you stay up late again," he said in an apologetic tone.

Sokka twisted his head so fast Zuko thought he'd break his neck. "What?"

"I said I'm — "

"Yes, I know!" Sokka was looking at him straight in the eye and rapidly moving his hands to get his point across. "Zuko, you don't seem to understand that despite the crippling fear and the fact that, for a second, I thought your sister was actually going to kill us, that was the most fun I've had in months. Besides," he shrugged, "it's not the first time I stay up late talking to the moon, or in this case, you."

It didn't sit right with Zuko to leave the conversation like that but if he had learned something throughout these past few weeks is that arguing with Sokka was almost always pointless.

"Okay," Zuko mumbled defeated and turned to the window.

Sokka's gaze was fixated on his face, so Zuko tried his best not to let his feelings show and he realized he failed miserably when Sokka crossed his arms and spoke again.

"You didn't get a single word I said, didn't you?"

"It's just I feel like I'm taking advantage of you!" Zuko rushed with guilty eyes. 

Sokka stared at him like Zuko just said the most stupid thing in the world. "I'm tutoring you for free."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Fine! Then let me think about something you can do for me."

Sokka sat straight and supported his chin on hand as he lost himself in his thoughts. Zuko's heart jumped on his chest when he saw Sokka's eyes glistening with ideas and then begged the universe the boy didn't make him so something stupid.

_ Please, just say 'bake me some cookies'. _

Suddenly, Sokka's whole face lit up and a big grin showed up on his face.

"Come to my game on Friday."

"What?"

Out of all the things Zuko expected Sokka to say, that was not one of them, mostly because he didn't even know Sokka had a game. Sokka scratched his head while looking like he wanted to facepalm himself and wondered why the hell did he say that. But there was no one way of taking back his words now.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if you knew but I was going to tell you tomorrow, well today, that I won't be able to tutor you on Friday," Sokka continued, he looked mildly guilty but stood his ground as he straightened up his shoulders while Zuko slowly nodded. "Haru might be injured but we're good, you can come to see us win."

Zuko's brain wasn't computing very well, quickly running through all of the possibilities so his mind was way too busy to check what came out of his mouth.

"You always have a fifty-fifty chance of winning."

"Oh, shut up," Sokka elbowed him on the side, followed by a small pause, "but I'm glad you're using percentage."

The look in Sokka's big eyes was expectant but Zuko had no idea what to say, doubt taking over all of his body. He wanted to go, Sokka was personally asking him and it sounded like something very important to him but at same time, Zuko hated crowded places and couldn't stand noise for long. 

"So, are you coming?"

Zuko thought he could say he'd think about it and then say he got sick or something but it didn't feel right. He wanted to go to the game and the sudden hesitation in Sokka's face gave him the courage to give the final step.

"Yeah, of course," Zuko replied as he nodded.

Even in the darkness of the night, a smile lit up Sokka's face.

⏳

It was safe to say that Zuko didn't feel a hundred percent comfortable at Sokka's game, especially because it was at a school he had never been before and the look Uncle Iroh had when Zuko told him he was going out.

The Wednesday night he arrived at the apartment, Uncle Iroh was waiting for him sipping from a cup of tea on the couch, with an expression between worry and anger. It hurt Zuko, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint Uncle Iroh or make him worried but that's exactly what he did. 

Zuko explained himself as soon as he walked through the door and the look of fear in Uncle Iroh's eyes when Zuko told where he went made him feel a pang on his chest. But in the end, Zuko spilled the reasons behind his adventure and Uncle Iroh asked Zuko to never do that again, that if he ever needed something, he should ask for it, then he caressed his nephew's head and told him to go to bed.

Zuko couldn't bring himself to tell Uncle Iroh he was going to the game until Friday afternoon, so when he did, he had to carry the weight of his uncle's look all the way to the game. A look that held hesitation, as if he didn't want Zuko to go, but in the end Uncle Iroh sighed and told him not to come back too late.

There were more people than Zuko expected, the entire place was bigger than his highschool and he briefly thought about going back home because he found himself completely alone, but then a hand fell on his shoulder. Suki was behind him with blue stripes on her cheeks and Katara closely following her.

"Zuko!" Suki cheerfully greeted. "I didn't think I'd see you here!"

"Me neither," he replied, trying not to let the waves of people walking to the field bother him.

"Well, you're here already. Come on, Aang is waiting for us," Suki swiftly took Zuko's hand and dragged him to the bleachers.

Aang was trying to use as much space as possible in the bench of the bleachers closer to the ground and wore an apologetic look while constantly moving to let people go up. His face lit up when he saw Suki, Katara and Zuko arrive.

"Zuko! I didn't think I'd see you here!" Aang said.

"That's what I said!" Suki sat beside him and Zuko sat beside her. 

"Hold this, I'll be right back," Katara told Aang as she gave him a bottle of water, to then walk with fast steps to the dugout.

Zuko scanned the place, drying his sweaty palms on his pants. The field was big, bigger than what he expected but again, what did Zuko know about baseball? People were filling up the bleachers behind him and the munching right above his ears was driving him crazy, the lights were a little bit too bright and he couldn't keep his legs still. Zuko was about to make a run for the bathroom when Aang spoke.

"Suki, who's that?" He asked in a while pointing at the dugout.

Zuko leaned and looked to the left, Aang was pointing at the boy with broad shoulders on the bench Katara was talking with. Suki barely glanced before taking the water bottle from Aang's hands.

"Haru is the center fielder, although he's not playing, he sprained his ankle," Aang slightly rolled his eyes at her. "Oh! You mean like, who  _ is _ Haru? Why do you want to know?"

Suki smirked before taking a sip of water, Aang huffed.

"Relax," she softly pushed him, “he’s just Katara and Sokka's friend."

Zuko was about to speak when Suki robbed the words from his mouth.

"And to all this, where is Sokka? I haven't seen him since lunch and the game is about to start," her voice sounded mildly worried.

Aang shrugged. "I don't know, he hasn't answered my texts."

Fear slipped into Zuko's veins, was something wrong with Sokka? Did Zuko actually come here for nothing? As if the universe had read his mind, a figure in blue quickly ran in front of them, small ponytail bouncing on his head.

Katara's eyes widened when she saw Sokka arrive at the dugout and almost trip with his own feet, Zuko saw her lips move and Sokka rapidly nod, then she patted her shoulder and walked back to the bleachers. Sokka turned around and scanned the crowd with a serious expression, his eyes followed the direction Katara was walking to and when he noticed Zuko, a smile spread across his face and then he frantically waved. Zuko softly waved back.

His attention was caught by Katara when she sat down beside Aang and Suki talked to her. "So, where was he?"

"I don't really want to know, I just wished him good luck."

Suddenly, Aang jumped in his place and pointed at the field. "It's starting!"

The players were walking to their positions on the field, some of them dressed in blue and others dressed in red and Zuko kind of regretted not doing a previous investigation of how the game worked, but he was confident enough he could understand at least a portion of it. 

Suki held his breath at the first batting and Zuko wasn't all that surprised when after that, Sokka stepped in as the pitcher. Zuko had a vague notion the position was very important and was proven right when Sokka quickly took out the batter and let a smug expression take over his face.

At some point everyone cheered and Zuko must have really missed the timing because Suki gave him a side glance and then explained to him what just happened to then proceed to tell him when something important was happening too. After that he realized that despite having never been to a baseball game and knowing that most sports lasted around an hour or two, time was lost to him. The minutes flew right over his head. 

It became a blur of flying baseballs, bat swings and people running as fast as they could. Dust was lifted as players slid across the ground and the crowd roared so loud it ringed in Zuko's ears.

After most of the innings, Zuko mostly understood the game and something sank inside of him when he realized they were close to losing, especially given Katara's anxious face and Aang's uneasy look. When Zuko asked, Suki solemnly confirmed it with a nod but quickly said there was one more inning and if she guided herself with Sokka's previous games, he was batting last.

Which meant right now. 

Sokka stepped in the batter's box and raised the bat while gripping it tightly. Zuko could tell he was tense and sweating but the burning determination and fierceness in his eyes told Zuko he was sure he could make it.

He held his breath when the pitcher moved and threw the ball at Sokka, flying too fast for Zuko's eyes but suddenly Sokka dropped the bat and started running as fast as he could, quickly making it to first base. 

Sokka's figure flew, as fast as a shooting star crossing the night. People were running, the ball was passed from player to player but they were too late, Sokka avoided it all and dashed across the field. 

Zuko's breath got caught in his throat, Sokka just made it to third base and the opposite team had the perfect shot to tag Sokka out. He was not going to make it, the victory was slipping right through his hands. Time froze, the crowd didn't dare to move or to breathe, when a player from the opposite team got ready to throw the ball at Sokka but he slid across the dirt.

A cloud of dust spread at the home plate, Zuko's heart stopped in his chest but suddenly a euphoric scream shattered the tense silence. The dust cleared and it showed Sokka with a single foot in home base and a tired grin on his face. The audience erupted in cheers, Suki raised her arms over his head and then shook Zuko's shoulders.

He wasn't even bothered by that, his surprised gaze still fixed on Sokka's body lying on the dirt, his chest quickly going up and down. Then Sokka stood up when his team mates came around, hugging him and slapping his back. 

Sokka's bright eyes suddenly went to the bleachers and Zuko swore they would've connected to his if Suki hadn't let go of Zuko's shoulders and ran to the field, catching Sokka's attention.  She jumped on Sokka, who caught her and gave her a spin. Suki shook his shoulders and shouted with joy to his face, shouts Sokka returned. 

Even if Zuko didn't really have anyone to celebrate with, Aang and Katara running to Sokka as well, he was thrilled; excitement ran through his veins. So this is why people liked sports, he thought. His heart was about to jump out of his chest and he couldn't stop a smile from showing up on his face, having trouble breathing properly felt right.

His attention was caught by Sokka taking long steps in his direction, his uniform a complete mess and with his baseball cap as a snapback. He was sweaty, red and the two black stripes on his cheeks were a mess too but none of that could stop the pure happiness on his face.

"See? I told you we'd win!" 

Zuko couldn't think of anything to say, his mind was blinded by joy and the urge to hug Sokka and congratulate him until he couldn't speak. He was mustering the courage to do just that when Suki and Aang arrived and the two of them put their arms over Sokka's shoulders.

"We're going to Denny's right now to celebrate, are you coming?" Sokka asked, still smiling despite the sudden weight of his friends on him.

And that's when it crashed against Zuko. Guilt. He wanted to go but when he thought about telling Uncle Iroh he was coming back home late again, something squeezed in his chest and in all honesty, Zuko thought that he didn't quite deserve it. Uncle Iroh didn't punish him, he never would but Zuko thought he should have.

When he looked at Aang and Suki's hopeful faces and the way they were so comfortable around Sokka and each other. They looked like a group of friends, a group Zuko thought he still didn't belong to. He slowly breathed in and looked at Sokka apologetically.

"I'm sorry,"  _ I truly am _ , "but I think I'll pass, Uncle is waiting for me at home. Maybe next time."

Aang looked like a kicked puppy but he managed to hide it when Katara showed up on his side and Suki only looked slightly disappointed. Sokka's smile fell for a split second but he picked himself right up, although Zuko could still see the smile didn't reach his eyes and the blue in them lost a little bit of its spark.

"Oh, that's..." Sokka was left speechless for a moment, as if he hadn't foreseen what he would do if Zuko said no. "Next time then."

"Next time," Zuko slowly nodded and put his hand on his pockets.

"I wish I could give a lift but I didn't really bring the car," Sokka said after Aang, Suki and Katara started to walk away with slow steps. 

Zuko shrugged. "It's fine, don't worry."

Sokka took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair to then put on the cap again, he looked nervous and with a strong desire to say something. Zuko noticed that over Sokka's shoulders, his friends had stopped and we're looking expectantly at the two.

"Go," he sighed and pointed with his chin to the group behind Sokka, "they're waiting for you."

Sokka glanced behind him and sighed too.

"Right, so..." he half smiled at Zuko, "I'll see you on Monday?"

"See you on Monday."

Sokka waved at him and jogged to his friends with Zuko's stare glued on his back until he completely lost the dirty uniform in the crowd. People were walking beside Zuko, some of them avoiding him and some accidentally pushing him.

He looked around and suddenly felt really uncomfortable, like a fish out of the water. After one more person brushed his shoulder, he began to walk home.

The night was cold but the thrill and the cheers at the game had warmed up his body, and kept it warm until he arrived home. Or at least on the inside because when Uncle Iroh saw him, he told Zuko his skin was freezing. Zuko simply shrugged and gave him a tired smile.

Zuko had just plugged his phone to the charger and put his head on the pillow when he got a text. He reached for his phone, Sokka had sent him a picture.

It was a simple image of Aang with fries in his mouth as fangs, with Katara and Suki with wide eyes and their hands over their mouths.

Zuko sighed and briefly closed his eyes, pushing away all of the things he thought he might have missed while something heavy sat on his chest. Guilty? Regret? But no, he had done the right thing, he came home early and didn't go to bother Sokka's friends.

He slowly shook his head and turned off his phone, to leave it again on the nightstand, if he got a text or a call he didn't want to know. At least not tonight.

🌊

Sokka was tired, dirty and kind of cold but he still thought this night should be celebrated. Which is why he was kind of bummed, he wanted Zuko to come and celebrate with them at Denny's, not just go home after the game. Sokka didn't know why but Zuko already felt like part of the group, it didn't sit right with Sokka for Zuko to skip the Denny's hangout after a game.

But what could he do? He wasn't a fool, he realized something was bothering Zuko and Sokka wasn't a pushover either, so when Zuko said no, well... he had to accept it, they'd see each other on Monday and besides, the hole in Sokka's stomach was a bit too powerful right now, so the mission was to get a burger.

Aang was excitedly telling his plan to join the cheerleading team when suddenly his eyes lit up, a fry midway to his mouth.

"Oh, I just remembered!" He interrupted himself. "Toph invited all of you to stay at her cabin in the woods for the weekend, she'd like to know you!"

"Her cabin in the woods?" Sokka swallowed the food in his mouth. "I'd like to live, thank you."

"Of course we'd like to go, Aang," Katara said before taking a sip of her milkshake.

"Yeah, I'd totally go too," Suki agreed.

Aang seemed about to burst out of joy, he quickly looked at Sokka. "Can you give me Zuko's number so I can ask him later?"

"Sure."

Sokka cleaned his hand with a napkin and gave his phone to Aang.

"Are you inviting him too?" Katara asked, trying to sound casual but Sokka could see right through his sister.

"Yeah," Aang answered, "I told Toph about the way he helped us find Appa and that he's friends with us now, she wants to know him too."

Katara's eyebrows furrowed for less than a second, and Aang didn't notice, too focused on copying Zuko's number but Sokka did.

He looked at her with a cold stare. "Yes, Katara, he's our friend and don't sulk."

"I'm not sulking!" Katara replied in an annoyed voice.

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine! But you know why — "

"Yes, I know!" He interrupted. "And I don't want to talk about it here."

Aang and Suki were looking back and forth between Sokka and Katara, Suki quietly biting a fry. Katara held Sokka's stare until she slowly inhaled and let her shoulders fall.

"Okay," she took another sip of milkshake.

Sokka forced a smile on his face and looked at Aang. "You got the number?"

"Yeah."

Sokka turned and smiled at Suki. "So, Suki, how's karate going?"


	7. Chapter 7

Zuko kept himself busy cleaning the counter, which didn't have water drops or crumbs since at least a half an hour ago. It was a calm Tuesday afternoon and normally he would appreciate it but ever since the turns of the last few weeks, four days of constant peace were a little bit overwhelming.

He actually only saw Sokka on Monday, because today Zuko had a report to finish so he used his lunch time for that and he came straight to the Jasmine Dragon after. He was about to go clean the counter again when his phone rang.

Zuko searched for his phone on his green apron as he walked to the kitchen. He frowned, an unknown number showing up on the screen. He thought about declining the call but again, did he actually have anything better to do?

"Hello?" He asked cautiously.

"Zuko!" The cheerful voice blew off his ear and made him grimace.

"Hi, Aang," Zuko answered, briefly wondering how Aang even got his number.

"You are not going to believe this!" Aang's voice sounded even more happy than normal, Zuko could almost see him bouncing on his feet and frantically shaking his hands. "A pipe burst!"

"What?" Aang seriously needed to be more specific than that.

"At school! A pipe burst, well, more than one actually and it's apparently really bad. We won't be able to go to school for the rest of the week!"

Something inside Zuko sank. He didn't want to admit it, and believed he actually never would, but the group of friends he still thought he didn't quite fit in was the only thing he looked forward to at waking up. When he was writing his report earlier, the library had been a little bit too quiet.

He understood that most people would like to not go to school for a few days, so he tried to be happy for them and convinced himself that at least he could help Uncle Iroh a little bit more at the tea shop.

Zuko was pulled out of his thoughts when Aang spoke again.

"I was at the cheerleading team practice because Ty Lee said I could watch once before joining," Aang's words were almost too rushed for Zuko to understand. "And then, Sokka came running and said we had to go because a pipe burst!"

"Can you believe Aang can do the splits?" Sokka shouted near Aang.

Zuko huffed a laugh.

"So, to my point," Aang continued. "Do you know my friend Toph?"

Zuko hummed. Yes, he knew Aang had a friend called Toph but that was the end of it.

"She invited all of us to stay at her cabin in the woods for the weekend. I wanted to invite you in person but I couldn't yesterday and I didn't see you today, and with the days free, we're leaving on Thursday morning instead of Friday noon."

Zuko opened and closed his mouth, shock written all over his face.

"You want me to go?" He stuttered.

"Yeah, Toph wants to know you too."

"Zuko, a stranger invited us to her cabin in the woods. We may die, you need to come and make sure someone survives to tell the story," Sokka said, followed by a smack and a loud yelp.

"As I was saying, we'd all be back on Sunday afternoon and we want you to come."

Aang's voice sounded so sincere it hurt Zuko because of the hesitation he was feeling. Excitement tickled his fingertips when he thought about going but he still hasn't forgotten the looks of Uncle Iroh and the fact that Zuko would actually have to live with the group for a couple of days. Having lunch together was one thing, but coexisting in the house was a completely different one.

"I don't know, Aang," Zuko closed his eyes and tried not to imagine the way Aang would try to hide his disappointment. He failed. "But I'll think about it, okay? I promise I'll answer you as soon as possible."

Zuko grimaced at his own voice, this must be why people didn't like him.

"Oh," thank God Zuko could only hear Aang's voice, "that's okay. Let me know when you decide."

Zuko slowly nodded until he remembered this was an actual phone call. "Yeah, I promise."

"Okay then. Bye, Zuko."

"Bye."

Zuko sighed and leaned against the counter in the kitchen, letting his head fall between his shoulders as he closed his eyes. Apparently, that small conversation was all he needed to miss peace again, his thoughts were a mess. 

Did he want to go? Yes. Could he go? Kind of. Should he go? Maybe. 

Zuko still remembered the weight on his chest when he went to sleep Friday night, after rejecting going to Denny's. At same time, he remembered the image of Sokka with his friend's arms over his shoulders and the feeling that Zuko didn't belong there, that he was just a gloomy shadow. A dark cloud about to rain their sunny day. What if Toph didn't like him? What if he said or did something that changed Aang's mind about inviting him? What if Sokka resented him for rejecting an invitation for the second time?

The door of the kitchen opened, Zuko opened his eyes and raised his head. Uncle Iroh slowly walked in.

Zuko gave a step towards the door. "Sorry, I just got a call. I'll go back to the counter." 

Uncle Iroh quickly raised his hands, palms facing Zuko.

"Oh, no. I didn't come for that," he said while a guilty expression took over his face, then he put his hand together. "I didn't mean to, and I know you don't like when I do this, so I'm sorry."

Zuko frowned, he knew exactly what his uncle had the tendency to do.

"But I heard you were invited somewhere and that you hesitated, I'd like to ask you why." Uncle Iroh looked at his nephew apologetically. "I know it's none of my business, and if you don't want to tell me, I completely understand."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. He had always told Uncle Iroh when something troubled him, usually because it came with great advice in return but this is time, the urge to hide the invitation was a little bit stronger than before but one glance at his uncle told him that he couldn't do it. What was the point of hiding it? Uncle Iroh already knew he was invited and whatever reason Zuko had, he knew Uncle Iroh would never judge him.

"Aang invited me to a friend's house and I'm not sure about going, that's it," he sighed.

"Why are you not sure?" Uncle Iroh asked.

"I'll just bother them," Zuko answered as he put his hands in his pockets, he stared at the floor as he heard his uncle's gentle voice.

"And why do you think that?" Zuko shrugged, fighting a pout from twisting his lips. "Well, if you bothered them, I don't think they would've invited you in the first place. And I've seen those kids a couple of times before, they seem friendly,"  _ they are _ . "Besides, if you ever think about coming back, you know that I'm just one phone call away."

Zuko looked up, hating how hopeful his next words sounded. "Really?"

Uncle Iroh gave him a single nod and a reassuring smile.

Nervousness squeezed Zuko's chest, his fingers tickling from wanting to reach for his phone. A small smile appeared on his lips.

"Now, come on," Uncle Iroh said cheerfully while he pointed with his head at the door, reaching out a hand to Zuko. "Let's finish out there so we can go home early and see what you're going to take to your trip."

⏳

There was a van outside Sokka's house. An actual big, white van with the logo of Beifong Mining Company on the side.

Zuko halted his steps for a second, staring deeply at the van but then shrugged, it was too early to worry about strange vans in front of Sokka's house. He rang the bell and adjusted the straps of his backpack, Sokka's muffled shouts came from the inside of the house before the door opened.

"Zuko!"

Sokka didn't get to say a lot more because he was pushed out of the way by Appa, who enthusiastically smelled Zuko and licked his hand. Zuko crouched down and petted Appa's head.

"Thank God you're here," Sokka said. "Now you take care of Appa while we make sure the house doesn't set itself on fire while we're out."

Sokka walked back into the house and Zuko followed him while petting Appa. Aang was on the couch playing with a cat, which Zuko assumed was Momo, and Katara and Sokka were running around the house making sure nothing was out of place.

"Zuko, you're here!" Aang said as he stood up and grabbed a duffle bag at his feet with one hand, holding Momo with the other. "Okay, we can start loading the van then."

That confirmed Zuko's fears, but he slowly resigned himself when Katara and Suki walked past him and went out the door with their own backpack and duffle bag. Aang shortly followed them with Appa on his heels.

Sokka rushed from the hallway and rambled at Zuko, with a hand on his hip and the other listing things in the air. "Rooms made, dishes done, plants watered, nothing rotting in the fridge, Suki has the snacks and Katara has my backpack, we're good."

Sokka loudly clapped once and slightly startled Zuko.

"And it's barely midday, this is going to be so good!" Sokka continued with bright eyes, enthusiasm pouring out of him and Zuko let out an airy laugh. Alright, he could do this, this was going to be fun. "Why are you still standing here? Come on, we need to get your stuff in the van."

Sokka swiftly took his hands and dragged him outside, Katara with keys in her hands walked in the opposite direction to lock the door. Zuko gave Sokka his backpack and then watched as Sokka played Tetris with the luggage.

"I can't believe Toph got us a van," Sokka laughed while shaking his head.

"Me neither."

"It even came with a driver included, so I like her already."

Sokka got in the van and then Zuko quickly scanned the inside. The grey seats were all occupied, Aang was at the third and bottom row with Appa's head on his lap, then came Katara and Suki in the two seats at the sides. Sokka was seated behind the driver so Zuko had no other than to sit closest to the door behind the passenger seat, which was strangely occupied by Momo, who for some reason nobody dared to move.

"What's your name?" Sokka asked the driver with a grin, leaning in as much as he could with the seatbelt on.

The driver didn't look especially happy, so to speak. With his thin eyebrows furrowed and his hand tightly holding the wheel, he started the engine and sighed. "You can call me Yu".

"Yu?" Sokka seemed to want to laugh but he controlled himself instead, then he leaned back in his seat. "Well, Yu, tell us a little about yourself."

Zuko almost couldn't hold in his laugh.

⏳

Half of the trip went on like that, with Sokka, Suki and Aang from time to time annoying Yu. Katara seemed like she wanted to tell everyone to stop doing it but a couple minutes in, a smile was tugging at her lips. With Zuko it was a little bit different, he didn't dare to annoy Yu, every fiber of his being telling him he shouldn't be impolite to adults but he completely failed at holding in his laughter.

After the sandwiches everyone had for lunch, they lost interest in Yu and put on some music instead. Zuko managed to convince the rest to skip him because he was just getting comfortable, he didn't want to ruin it by getting judged on his music taste. In the end, they let Suki take control of the music because argumentatively she had the best taste out of all of them. 

They had been on the van for at least two hours and it was getting exhausting, even when Yu told them once they went through the traffic jam they were stuck in, there was a maximum half hour left. 

Suki was focused on her phone, Katara was reading a book and Aang and Sokka were sleeping. Zuko thought about putting on his headphones but then he thought it might be rude to Suki, and his phone didn't have that much battery left anyways so he stuck to staring out of the window.

There was still some nervousness inside of him, he admitted, but at the same time excitement almost entirely overshadowed it. Katara didn't seem to dislike his presence that much and even prepared him a sandwich, and at some point Momo jumped on his lap. The overall happy vibe was contagious, the earlier laugh had loosened up the pressure in Zuko's chest and Momo's warmth under his palms calmed him. 

It felt as if he fitted in and Zuko didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry.

He didn't even notice when the cars in front and behind them began to decrease, his stare fixed on the wide green fields around the highway. The occasional trees and the slightly clouded sky stole his thoughts, he leaned his forehead on the window as his eyes threatened to close. 

Suddenly, a phone's ringtone jerked him awake, sending his heartbeat through the roof. Zuko quickly looked around and realized he hadn't been to only to be startled awake, Sokka and Aang were too. The latter was looking for his phone as best as he could with Appa on top of him.

After he saw who was calling, he picked up and put his phone on speaker. "Hello?"

"Twinkle Toes, where are you? You should be here by now," said a high pitched voice through the phone.

"We were stuck in a traffic jam," Aang answered, then he looked up at Yu. "Yu, how long is it until we get there?"

"Hi, Yu!" Toph cheerfully added. Zuko had never met or seen the girl but for some reason, he pictured her grinning, annoying Yu the same way they did. 

"About ten minutes," Yu answered in an emotionless voice while staring straight ahead at the road.

"Oh, you should be entering the town by now then."

Zuko looked out the window and saw that indeed, they were driving past low buildings and stores. Most of the shops were open but there weren't a lot of people around, everything looked well-kept and clean despite looking a little bit old. It reminded Zuko of the neighborhood he grew up in but this town was like an older, friendlier version of it, with brick walls and chalkboard signs instead of black fences and perfect grass. He liked it.

"Well, Twinkle Toes," Toph continued, "see you in a bit."

She hung up before Aang had time to say anything, everyone's stare on him. 

"Yeah, that was Toph," he said with a crooked smile, something between proud and embarrassed.

A short silence followed until Sokka stretched his arms over his head and then flopped again on his seat.

"So, Twinkle Toes," he teased, "tell us more about Toph."

Aang happily complied. 

Toph was friends with Aang since years ago, they met after someone was bullying her and Aang tried to defend her but apparently her dog took care of it, scaring the bullies away. She was homeschooled and didn't go out a lot but Aang was determined, so he was always visiting her. They were pretty much best friends.

And it showed because when they crossed the town and started to go up the mountain, his feet were bouncing to the point Appa attempted to move and he couldn't hold in his smile.

While everyone seemed excited, Zuko was growing nervous. He has never liked to meet new people, always under the shadow of Azula's social skills. He could handle adults, because he was expected to act respectfully and politely, which he could easily play but people his age were a whole other thing. There weren't any guidelines and so many possibilities of him doing something wrong.

His palms sweated as he stared out the window and his eyes widened as he took it all in, the tall trees with thick and thin trunks and the way the clouds draw shadows on the ground but the most amazing thing were the colors.

Red and yellows covered everything except for the road, the orange leaves slowly fell under the breeze. It all stole Zuko's breath and even if everything passed way too fast to look attentively, he tried to remember every single detail.

They passed some side roads until they finally turned to the right and Zuko's heartbeat escalated to the point he thought his heart would come out of his chest. The car soon stopped in front of the most beautiful house he had ever seen.

It had two floors and despite the dim light the sky provided, the dark wood of the walls seemed to glisten, as if it was new. The terminations of the windows were so detailed and even if the forest wasn't swallowing the house, it fit perfectly in the scenery. It was quiet around except for some birds chirping in the distance and the air was so clean in Zuko's lungs he wondered when was the last time he enjoyed nature. 

Everything made the girl in green standing on the porch look small.

Zuko stepped down from the van and tried to swallow his nerves while glancing at her. She was leaning against the door frame petting the head of a labrador retriever seated beside her, her short and dark hair almost completely covered her eyes. She seemed relaxed but she gave Zuko a slightly intimidating vibe.

"Toph!" Aang ran to her as soon as he got off the van and wrapped his arms over her shoulders as she patted his back with one hand, the other still on the head of the dog.

"Relax, Twinkle Toes," Toph replied with a side smile, "we saw each other like two weeks ago."

"Still."

The group watched the scene unfold until Aang seemed to remember their purpose here.

"Oh, right!" He looked back at them and gestured to them to come closer. "These are my friends."

When they were a few feet away, not stepping on the porch yet, the dog left Toph's side and smelled them for about a minute to then return to his position. Toph smirked and offered them her hand, green eyes holding playfulness in them.

"Toph Beifong, not at your service."

Zuko didn't quite know how to answer that, especially because the girl in cargo shorts didn't seem to be looking at any of them specifically. Aang let out a small laugh and pointed at Katara, who was the closest to him.

"This is Katara," he said. 

"Oh! You're the girl that made Aang the cupcakes." Toph stretched her hand in Katara's direction.

"Yeah," Katara answered as she shook Toph's hand.

"He loved them, by the way, did he tell you that? Because — " 

"Yes, I did!" Aang interrupted with a light blush on his ears that matched Katara's cheeks. Then, Aang moved Toph's hand towards Sokka.

"This is — "

"Sokka, baseball player and future NASA engineer," Sokka answered, Toph nodded in approval. Then she moved on to Suki.

"Suki, karate black belt."

Toph grinned, "Sweet."

Finally, Toph turned to Zuko's direction, who's throat was suddenly very dry. He quickly dried his hand on his pants.

"I'm... Zuko," he muttered as he shook Toph's hand.

"That's alright, we'll find something for you." She clapped once with a smile and then raised her hands. "Well, welcome to my house. You can unpack your stuff and leave it in the living room, we'll figure out where y'all sleeping later."

And so they destroyed the careful Tetris Sokka made in the back of the van and put all the bags and backpacks on one of the grey couches in the living room because Appa took over the other. It was safe to say the inside of the house took away Zuko's breath, maybe even more than the outside.

Some walls were light wood while others were made of stone, there was a fireplace in front of the couches and the carpet was the fluffiest Zuko had ever stepped in. There also were floor to ceiling windows that allowed light to come in, which made the entire place bigger, and an open kitchen at the bottom of the room, with stairs on the wall next to it.

It smelled like firewood and sweet spices and somehow the warm colors and laughter made Zuko feel a strange pang on his chest, which he struggled to identify the reason of. Maybe it was just wonder at seeing something this beautiful but a voice in the back of his mind whispered to him the interior of the house looked like what his old house felt before his mom left. Warm, cozy and full of light. That that was the reason why as soon as he entered the house, he was overwhelmed by the desire to never leave again.

When they were done, they sat on the floor around the coffee table and Toph brought a couple bags of snacks from the kitchen while Zuko texted Uncle Iroh he arrived safely. Sokka was bringing glasses and a bottle of soda when he hit his hip on the corner of the countertop, to then bend over and let out a groan of pain.

Toph snorted and then laughed as she opened a bag. "It seems like I'm not the only blind one here."

It suddenly clicked in Zuko's head. The reason why Toph never seemed to look at any of them in the eye, only in the general direction of their faces and the reason why Boulder, her labrador retriever, was such a calm and well-mannered dog. Zuko was surprised to say the least, he honestly never would've guessed.

With a slightly red face, Sokka put the glasses and the soda on the table and sat down beside Zuko on the floor against the couch Appa was lying in.

"We can't use my parent's bedroom," Toph started, "so that leaves us with three to spare. Mine and two guest rooms, but you don't have to worry, they're quite big. One of them has a king bed and the other has two beds."

Zuko's heart began to race.

"That's more than okay," Katara said.

"I know and thanks," Toph continued as she grabbed a chip, "but who's rooming with who?"

Aang opened his mouth but Toph didn't let the words fall out of his mouth.

"Because I want to sleep with Suki!" She said as she raised a hand in Suki's direction, who choked a little bit on her soda but picked herself right up. Suki smirked and high-fived Toph looking smug. "And I think Aang can room Katara. I don't have siblings but I thought it might be annoying to share with Sokka."

"Hey!" Sokka's little shout startled Appa.

"I think you're totally right," Suki agreed, her eyes sharing the same mischief Toph's eyes had.

Aang asked while trying to pull down his beanie to cover his ears. “Are you sure?”

"I can totally room with Zuko!" Sokka intervened.

Zuko could've swore his heart stopped and tried as best as he could to control his breathing so his cheeks didn't turn completely red. Why was he even embarrassed? He was the most comfortable around Sokka, he had no reason to be... 

Oh, no. The beds.

"It's decided then," Toph took a sip from her glass.

Katara dropped the final question. "But who's taking which room?" 

The awkward silence that followed was so heavy it crushed Zuko's chest, everyone slowly exchanging looks, only the sound of wind shaking the trees outside interrupting them. The seconds stretched on forever until Sokka locked eyes with Aang and sharply inhaled.

"Race, and the room we enter first is the one we're staying in."

Aang didn't even wait for Sokka to finish and jumped over the couch, but Sokka was smart and was already getting up as he spoke. Both of them disappeared up the stairs, Sokka slightly pushed Aang and took the lead. The last thing Zuko saw was Aang grabbing Sokka's ankle, followed by a thud and a groan.

More thuds were heard for a few more seconds until the silence returned, Zuko held his breath. Then, Sokka and Aang walked down the stairs, the former with a slight limp and the latter rubbing his shoulder.

"King bed," Aang said.

"Two beds," Sokka threw a peace sign.

Zuko let out a sigh of relief. He felt fine until now, already accepted the fact that if they didn't want him here, they wouldn't have invited him but sharing a bed with someone else made his anxiety spike. 

"Alright then," Toph brushed the crumbs off her hands and stood up. "Come on, Suki, I'll show you my room."

After everyone left their stuff in their corresponding rooms and went downstairs again to finish off the snacks, they settled on playing a few rounds of Twister, because cards and video games were out, given that Toph could only see some shapes and colors. They moved the couches and the coffee table and Zuko thought that not even at Sokka's game he had had so much fun.

The sun had set by the time of the last round, the curtains were pulled over the windows and the fireplace was warming up the place. Their honor and pride was on the line.

Katara was in charge of the spinner and Sokka lost pretty quickly, despite his claims of getting revenge against Suki, because even if he was pretty strong, he wasn't very flexible. Zuko thought Aang would've won if Toph hadn't tickled him and Zuko himself was only a finalist because of his long legs and sheer determination.

Everyone knew they couldn't beat Toph, who had been playing ever since she was a child but Suki definitely tried. Katara opened her mouth to dictate the next move but Aang stopped her with a playful glint in his eyes and moved slightly the spinner on the board, Sokka oblivious to the whole situation.

"Right foot, red," Katara said, followed by a collective groan from the people still playing.

It was when Suki did the splits and argued it was still a valid move with Toph, Zuko's left arm couldn't take it anymore, a drop of sweat was sliding down his forehead. He rolled over and laid on the carpet, finally able to take in a full breath.

"No!" Sokka said, Zuko opened his eyes and saw Sokka looking down at him and offering a glass of water. "You were supposed to avenge me."

"I tried my best."

Toph laughed as Zuko incorporated and took a sip of water. Suki's face was red and her arms were shaking while Toph was sweating and out of breath, Zuko felt tempted to place bets with Sokka.

"Right hand, green," Katara said with a small smile, Aang still at her side. Both of them completely ignoring the spinner by now.

It happened way too fast for Zuko's tired brain to understand. A groan of pain came from Suki and right when her fingertips reached the green circle, she seemed to decide victory wasn't worth it. She collapsed but not without taking Toph with her.

Toph fell on top of Suki with a yelp and then neither of them moved for a few seconds, their chests going quickly up and down. Toph raised a hand.

"Tie?" 

Suki took her hand. "Tie."

Then they went limp on the Twister mat, as if they were going to stay there until tomorrow. Zuko shared their tiredness, his hand was barely able to hold the glass and the only thing he wanted was to completely lean against the couch and fall asleep. 

Aang yawed. "Guys, I think we can call it a day."

Everyone slowly nodded and it took a couple of minutes before they actually got up. Zuko and Katara were about to move back the couches when Toph spoke.

"Oh, just leave them like that. We can move them in the morning."

Zuko suddenly felt very grateful for Toph because he barely had energy to stand right now. Sokka was nowhere to be seen and Toph and Suki were already going upstairs, so Zuko decided to do the same after he saw Aang almost asleep on the couch and Katara checking something on her phone.

The room Zuko was staying in was simple yet pretty for his taste. There were two beds covered with dark purple, patchwork quilts on opposite sides of the room, one of the beds under a window, and an old fashioned wood nightstand between them. But the finishing touch was not the orange light coming from the lamp on the nightstand or the comforting wood smell.

It was Sokka lying on his bed, the one under the window, already with his eyes closed and his phone dangerously balancing on his hand. 

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed so Zuko tried to be as quiet as possible but as he opened the sip of his backpack to get his pajamas, Zuko realized he wasn't the problem. He carefully took Sokka's phone from his hand to then leave it on the nightstand and turned off the light.

Zuko relaxed when Sokka's expression turned peaceful again. He debated about going to change to the bathroom in the hallway but what was the point, it was pitch dark anyways.

He closed the door and got into bed, deciding that if he started to check his phone, he'd probably end up like Sokka and his phone on the floor so he just left it in the nightstand. Even if he was in a stranger's house and in a foreign bed, Zuko vaguely thought that it was surprisingly easy to fall asleep to the silence outside and Sokka's steady breathing beside him.


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you mean there's no more food?" Katara asked.

Zuko had just entered the house again when he heard the question. 

His internal clock was sadly wired to wake up early and when he went downstairs he realized he was the only one awake at this hour, the sky was only starting to clear up and the sun barely peeked among the trees. Zuko wasn't really hungry so he made himself a tea he brought with him, then he picked up the Twister mat and moved the couches as quietly as he could.

When he was done, he was still alone so he put on his shoes and walked outside to take a look. Cold slipped through the old hoodie he wore as pajamas but the shiny water drops on the grass and the cleansing air made it worth it.

Zuko must have been outside for only twenty minutes, seated on a bench on the porch, when voices came from inside the house. 

Katara, Suki and Toph were in the kitchen and Aang was walking down the stairs impossibly slowly while rubbing his eyes, dressed in his cloud pajama set. 

"Well, I forgot to tell you guys yesterday we needed groceries," Toph replied in a defensive tone, raising her hands. “What’s the big deal?”

Katara sighed. "We'll have water for breakfast then."

"I mean," Aang intervened, "someone can still go to the town and buy food, right?"

"Yeah, we can gather some money between all of us and send someone," Suki added as she sat on the counter.

"Suki and I are supposed to cook lunch and Toph can't cook," Katara reasoned, "so who's going?"

"I can go," Zuko answered.

Suddenly all the looks were on him and he fought the urge to go hide outside. Even if he already organized the living room, he did it out of boredom, so he still wanted to help. It made him feel useful and more welcomed, as if he could prove he was a good guest.

"I don't have anything to do and maybe Sokka can drive me to the town," he shrugged.

"That's a great idea!" Toph exclaimed. "And like that, Aang can stay here and I can catch up with him."

"Actually, I have to take Appa on his morning walk."

"Even better, I'll go with you!"

"So it's settled," Suki said as she grabbed a glass and poured herself some water.

"I'll go wake up Sokka," Katara had only given one step when Zuko stopped her.

"I'll go."

Zuko rushed up the stairs as he ignored Katara's suspicious look. 

Sokka was still sleeping and had messed with his blankets so bad they were more on the floor than covering his body. Zuko resisted the urge to cover him, Sokka's pajama top was only a blue sleeveless shirt and Zuko felt cold only by looking at him, although he had a slight feeling his tanned skin was warmer than he thought.

He carefully opened the curtain of the window above Sokka's body and crouched down. Sokka's hair was loose and a few strands were covering his eyes, Zuko's fingertips tickled with the urge to brush them aside. Zuko put a hand on Sokka’s shoulder to softly shake his body and confirmed his guess, the sleeping boy was mildly warm.

"Sokka," Zuko whispered, "you gotta wake up."

Sokka stirred and turned around to face the wall with a frown on his face. Zuko continued, an apology already in his mind.

"Sokka, I'm sorry but we need to go and buy some groceries." Sokka let out a soft groan. "Toph forgot to tell us and there's no food, and Katara and Suki are cooking. We kind of need to go now."

Zuko tried to be as gentle as possible but Sokka still turned around and glared at him, then he buried his face in his pillow for a second and whined.

"Just because I'm hungry," he said in a raspy voice.

Zuko nodded, got up and looked around, not really knowing what to do until he decided to do his bed and look for some clothes so he could go take a quick shower. Sokka stayed in bed as Zuko moved around the room, slowly breathing and glancing at Zuko from time to time.

When Zuko left the room, he saw Sokka sharply inhale and get up.

⏳

If it wasn't for Ozai's cars, Zuko would've thought Toph's parents' car would be the most expensive one he's ever seated in. It ran smoothly down the mountain and if Sokka wasn't sleepy, he'd definitely go just a bit faster.

When Zuko returned from his shower, he offered to make Sokka a cup of coffee, already memorized the way he liked, but quickly remembered there was no coffee in the house. They were also a little bit short on money, everyone assumed there would be food at the house but Toph explained she often came for one or two days when she needed an escape and her parents never came so groceries were rarely needed.

Even when he was half asleep, Sokka was still very good at math, so he counted the money as Katara and Suki listed everything they needed for two or three decent meals.

That's how they ended up here, in the most comfortable car seat Zuko has ever been, because Yu had left with the van. The morning was cloudy and there was a chilly breeze but it wasn't nearly as cold as yesterday and Zuko was grateful. It was a quiet ride, Sokka didn't make any effort to put on some music and Zuko left it like that. 

He liked the silence but being around a silent Sokka made everything slightly uncomfortable, with his blue eyes fixed on the road and not even the hint of a smile in his face but still, Zuko didn't want to impose.

But a few minutes later, he realized he didn't because Sokka's stomach growled and then huffed a laugh. 

"Wow, it's been awhile since I heard that," he said. 

Zuko didn't know how to answer that but it didn't matter because Sokka kept talking.

"You have no idea how hungry I am." Finally a small smile showed up on his face, as if he thought the situation was funny. "Usually if I'm hungry and there's no food around, I'll just have a coffee because a glass of water won't do and don't you dare say tea, there's rarely tea at my house."

"I wasn't going to say tea." Truly, Zuko wasn't. It's like if someone told him to have a coffee.

"It's been so long since I had snacks like yesterday. With Katara and dad, even Suki, always pushing the healthy agenda," Sokka sighed. "I'm craving a soda so bad right now."

Again, Zuko didn't say anything because he knew perfectly how tied their hands were. The same way Sokka knew the multiplication tables, Katara knew the standard prices of stuff at the supermarket. Hakoda didn't have time to buy groceries, given that his job didn't let him spend a lot of time at home, so Katara and Sokka usually went to buy food. With the girl setting the budget and Sokka carrying most of the bags after.

So right now they didn't exactly have money to buy extra stuff. Sokka sourly laughed and slowly shook his head. "Katara would chop off my head if I bought a soda."

The town slowly showed up around them, with a little more people than yesterday when they arrived. Sokka parked the car closer to the mountain than to the center of the town, claiming that they might not visit again and it wasn't even midday, so they could walk around and Zuko agreed. 

They passed many open stores, from cafes to pastry shops and from bookstores to antique shops. There were stores that sold yarn, phone cases, honey and souvenirs, some calendars, keychains and mountain and forest pictures. But everything still had that nostalgic air that made Zuko feel like he was leaving in a fantasy.

The sidewalk had some grass growing in between and the air was clean, a car rarely passed by and people didn't glare at them. Zuko felt like he could take a break from reality as he walked and breathed, just...  _ being _ .

Sokka's presence beside him and his random comments about things he saw only added to the peaceful image. It made Zuko feel like he belonged in some way, like a scene in a movie where he was about to sit in the park in the middle of town to eat some chips with his friends and waste time.

Zuko halted his steps.

Friends? Since when did he...? Could he even call them like that? 

His reflection didn't get very far because soon Sokka saw the supermarket and rushed his steps. When they were about to enter, Zuko realized they were almost at the other end of the town. How long had they been walking? He was about to check the hour on his phone when Sokka grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.

It was relatively simple. Zuko was driving the cart while Sokka threw things inside as he read the list in his hand. A bag of rice, some packets of noodles, some vegetables Zuko had to pick because Sokka had no idea which ones were about to go bad and which were fresh, some bread.

They were passing by the aisle of snacks and drinks on their way to pay when Sokka grew terribly quiet and slowed down his steps, Zuko even passed him with the cart.

He knew he shouldn't have looked but he couldn't avoid it. Zuko glanced back, Sokka had an incredibly yearning and hopeful eyes and was crunching the paper list on his hands. When he realized Zuko was staring at him, he snapped out of it and flashed a smile to Zuko.

"Why did you stop?" He said as he walked to the cashier.

Zuko didn't move.

He sighed, the illusion of peace shattered in his head. He knew he shouldn't think like that, that it shouldn't even be a possibility, that it was wrong but in reality, was it really that bad? Zuko couldn't stop Azula's voice from slipping into his thoughts, the memories of them as children at the store, only getting caught hours later by their mom and memories of her not telling Ozai. Not because she said he'd be disappointed, but because something worse might happen, Zuko later learned.

But there was no Ozai this time, there was no Ursa and no Azula.

Zuko gestured with his head to Sokka to come closer and with slow steps, Sokka complied.

"Take it," Zuko whispered.

"What?"

Zuko vaguely pointed at the soda cans in the refrigerator. "Just take one."

Sokka may be dumb sometimes but he wasn't stupid, he knew what Zuko was referring to. Sokka's eyes were impossibly wide and his whispers distressed. "Wait, you mean like... stealing?"

Zuko looked around and then shrugged.

"But that's..." For once Sokka seemed to struggle with his words, "wrong."

"Sokka — "

"Katara said — "

"Katara's not here," Zuko sighed and looked at Sokka straight in the eye. "Coca-Cola is a billion worth company, do you actually think two dollars will lead them to bankruptcy?"

It may have taken him a while but Sokka slowly shook his head, Zuko being able to pretty much see what was going on in his head. Yes, stealing was wrong but two dollars actually mattered that much? That it may be stupid to take that soda, that he didn't need it to keep living and there were people starving around the world and yet...

It was just two dollars and they were in a completely strange town. Conflict and hesitation flashed in Sokka's eyes while Zuko patiently looked at him until Sokka's head snapped up and breathed in.

"Okay," he said in voice between excited and scared, "how do you...?"

"Like this."

Zuko made sure no one paid attention to them and opened the door of the refrigerator, then grabbed a can of soda and put it in the pocket of his jacket. 

"Done."

He pushed again the cart to the cashier while Sokka momentarily gaped at him and Zuko feared for a second that Sokka passed out but then he seemed to remember how to think and immediately relaxed his shoulders as much as he could, only breathing slightly faster than a normal person would.

Meanwhile, Zuko's heart was about to come out of this chest and yet, he looked completely calmed on the outside, maybe even a little bit bored with his default face. He could feel his heartbeat on his fingertips and feared the cashier could hear it but Zuko's hand didn't even shake as he handed the money.

He hated how easy it was. After his mom left, it didn't feel right to steal and felt even worse after he moved in with Uncle Iroh and pretty much taught Zuko an entire new way of living. He only did it once though. It was maybe more or equally as stupid as this.

Zuko had been hanging out with Mai when some idiot ran by and caused her to drop the snack she was holding, which happened to be her favorite. They had no more money so Zuko went back to the store and simply took the snack. 

He hadn't stolen since he lived with Ozai and Azula but at that moment, he realized old habits die hard. After years in that house, he could say he had become a master of pretending and hiding his emotions when he truly wanted to. Just like Azula.

The cashier only gave him fifty cents as change and then Zuko helped Sokka to put the groceries in bags. Zuko's throat was tight, the exit was  _ so  _ close.

They were walking to the doors and if he hadn't done this before, Zuko thought his entire body would've froze when he heard the voice of the cashier.

"Sir, you fo — "

He panicked and as best as he could while carrying bags, Zuko grabbed Sokka's hand and ran. 

Zuko's heart was hammering in his chest and the cold wind slashed his cheeks, people stepped away as soon as they saw them coming. Their passing was loud through the street, their steps and the bags breaking the silence of the town.

He didn't know where he was heading but soon they ended up in one of the far corners of the park of the town. They stopped and carelessly dropped the bags on the grass, to then put their hands on their knees. Zuko glanced up as he tried to get air in his lungs, some people were giving them weird looks but no one was chasing them. Sokka seemed to reach the same conclusion because he let out a loud laugh.

"We did it!" His eyes were glistening. "Oh, my God! I can't believe we did it!"

Zuko smiled at Sokka, adrenaline still flowing through his veins. That only seemed to fuel Sokka's excitement.

"God! I feel..." He frantically gestured around with his hands. "I feel so alive!"

Logically, Zuko knew that stealing was wrong but the thrill in his and Sokka's body overshadowed all reason. Sokka put his hands on Zuko's shoulders and shook him.

Sokka looked like he couldn't decide what to do, euphoria too big for his mind to catch. He grabbed his head between his hands and then punched the air, all with the biggest grin on his face.

"Fuck, I could kiss you right now!"

With a slightly shaky hand and an equally big smile, Zuko reached into his jacket and handed Sokka the soda can, who took it and let out a shout of joy. Zuko didn't have the time to warn Sokka before he opened the can, splashing soda and foam on him and the grass.

None of that mattered, apparently, because Sokka gladly took a sip and beamed at Zuko. 

"Is it good?" Zuko asked.

"The best!" Sokka answered before sipping again.

They thought about lying in the grass for a moment but decided that every passing minute meant that the people at the house got hungrier, so they probably should get going. They grabbed the bags, Zuko subtly taking one of Sokka's bags from the ground so Sokka could carry his with hand one and hold the can with the other.

By the time they arrived at the house, they agreed to hide all evidence in their room and when Katara asked if something interesting happened, Sokka and Zuko said no and struggled to hide their smiles.

⏳

The grass under Zuko's hand felt so soft and the temptation to lay down and fall asleep right then and there slipped into his thoughts.

After a late lunch that consisted of surprisingly good noodles Katara and Suki made, everyone agreed they could have the afternoon free given that tomorrow they were going to spend all day together. Katara, Suki and Toph disappeared upstairs and Aang and Sokka disappeared downstairs. They invited Zuko but the playful glint in their eyes told Zuko they were up to no good, so he declined. Besides, after so much happening between yesterday and today, he needed a break.

He ended up wandering in the forest, simply breathing in and listening to the birds sing and the wind shaking the leaves. He vaguely thought Uncle Iroh would love it.

Zuko tried to walk on a straight line, so he could remember the way back to the house but after a while, everything on his mind was replaced by wonder.

He was now standing on the edge of the forest and a field of grass that ended in a cliff was in front of him. There were trees as far as the eye could see, everything dyed in bright autumn tones. There still were a few clouds in the sky but behind them, the sky was bluest blue Zuko had ever seen. It all stole his breath away. He sat down against a tree on the edge of the forest and enjoyed the view, then he pulled out his phone to take a picture but quickly realized it had no battery.

Some time must have passed because when he opened his eyes again, the sun was setting. Suddenly, the sound of leaves getting loudly crushed under something interrupted the silence. He held his breath and a second later, he heard a familiar voice.

"Zuko, please, tell you're here."

Zuko looked behind the tree to see Sokka loudly trip with a root on the ground. 

"Sokka?"

"Zuko!" 

Sokka looked up and beamed at Zuko, then he walked up to him with wobbly steps. Sokka unceremoniously plopped down beside Zuko and leaned his head on his shoulders. 

"Finally I found you," Sokka sighed.

"Why were you looking for me?" Zuko managed to ask, body tense. 

"Because Aang is mean," Sokka's words were slurred and if Zuko leaned in a bit, he could see that Sokka had his eyes closed and a pout on his lips, "and Suki's with Katara and Toph doing... I don't know, girly stuff."

Suki was probably teaching them how to dropkick someone but Zuko understood where Sokka was coming from.

Sokka didn't say anything else, he only grabbed Zuko's arms and hugged it. Zuko instead only stared at him, at the way a few strands of hair fell off Sokka's ponytail and his slow breathing. At that moment, Zuko confirmed his suspicions. Something was wrong, or at least, not right with Sokka. 

Then, Zuko reasoned Sokka must be drunk. He hasn't seen many drunk people in his life, but the boy snuggled up on his side definitely had the signs. He stumbled on his way here and his words were less than eloquent. Sokka rarely tripped, baseball having sharpened his reflexes, and even if he was a bit childish, he would never say Aang was mean while pouting. Zuko's thought ran in all directions, how was he supposed to deal with a drunk Sokka?

While he thought, Sokka opened his eyes and his mouth formed a perfect 'O'.

"Wow, this is pretty."

Zuko looked up and honestly couldn't agree more. The sky was beautiful, arguably one of the best views he had seen in his life.

The sun was only peeking between the trees in the distance, dyeing everything above his head a bright orange color. The few clouds there were left had a faint pink tint to them and the cold breeze sent a chill down his spine. Zuko squinted his eyes to see the last rays of sunshine go down.

He was so busy staring in wonder that he didn't notice Sokka's fixed gaze on him until Sokka spoke.

"I love your eyes, have I told you that?"

Zuko's breath was caught on his throat and his head turned so fast he might have snapped his neck. 

"They're like two little suns," Sokka continued, his voice not higher than a whisper. His eyes were hazed but they held such gentleness in them that made Zuko's heart clench. 

Zuko couldn't take it and looked away with a blush on his cheeks, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Sokka went back to snuggling Zuko's arm and sighed and Zuko prayed that he couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating. Why did Sokka's comment affect him that much? It's not like Zuko never got a complement... right? 

Ugh, he struggled to remember the last time he was complemented by someone who wasn't Uncle Iroh.

Despite Sokka apparently being a sleepy drunk, he didn't close his eyes and instead stared at Zuko again. That only messed up Zuko's breathing even more, he didn't want to look at Sokka. Oh, universe, just save him some embarrassment.

The sky had changed drastically in the last couple of minutes, the sun was no longer visible and purple was taking over orange. The stars were starting to come out and Zuko's hands were getting cold. He suddenly remembered that they weren't alone, there were people at the house, maybe even waiting for them.

He turned to look at Sokka and that's when it happened. Later Zuko swore to never beg the universe again.

Sokka had been staring at him, as if the sunset paled in comparison to Zuko or like he was the eighth wonder of the world. Zuko simply miscalculated, his vision field betrayed him because when he turned his head around, his lips accidentally brushed against Sokka's.

It was less than a second, so fast Zuko's mind barely had the time to register it but his heart completely stopped in his chest and then ran so fast he thought he'd have a heart attack. He jerked away, a horrified expression on his face while Sokka only covered his mouth with his hand and giggled. Then it escalated to a full blown laugh, those that barely let you breath.

Sokka seemed to want to say something but laughter shook his entire body, his face was flushed and his ponytail almost totally undone. When Sokka was finally able to breath, he still blabbed nonsense.

"Sorry, man," Zuko managed to understand before another round of laughter attacked Sokka.

Zuko was frozen still on the ground, his hand with a scratch from jumping away so suddenly and his heartbeat ringing in his ears. After a few minutes, Sokka calmed down and lied on the ground, with his chest quickly falling up and down and a silly smile on his face while Zuko could only stare at him.

Suddenly a light caught his attention. Zuko forced his eyes away from Sokka and looked at the faint glow near his thigh. It was a phone. Sokka's phone, which had an incoming call.

Sokka didn't seem to even notice, not moving a single muscle, so given his state Zuko thought it was fine to check. He reached out and grabbed the phone right when the caller hung up. He widened his eyes as fear slipped into his veins.

_ 23 missing calls from Katara _ , the screen read and right below that there were more calls and texts. From Aang, Suki and even two missing calls from Toph.

Zuko had a strong urge to stay right where he was or jump off the cliff but the rational part of his brain told him that they needed to go back to the house  _ now _ . 

"Sokka, we need to go," Zuko rushed as he got up.

Sokka could perfectly be sleeping, giving absolutely no signs of hearing Zuko, who mentally cursed and then sighed. 

"Sokka, I'm not carrying you. Get up."

"Don't be mean too," Sokka replied with a pout, still with his eyes closed.

Zuko was now mildly annoyed, they had to go. He sighed in frustration to then grab Sokka's arm and pull until he sat up.

"Okay, okay, okay," Sokka said before taking his arm back and getting up painfully slow. Zuko fought back the urge to help when Sokka lost balance and nearly fell.

Sokka looked around and seemed to realize he actually had no idea where he was, because he stared blankly at Zuko, who let out a groan, took Sokka's hand and began to walk while dragging Sokka.

By the time they got to the house, the sky was dark and the night was cold, the forest was no longer as friendly and as magical as before. Zuko had called Katara with Sokka's phone to tell her they were on their way, nothing more and nothing less because as soon as she picked up, Zuko heard the rage in her voice and decided he wasn't ready to face that yet.

The house showed up before his eyes, the warm lights on the inside illuminating its surroundings, and before Zuko could even think about turning back around and losing himself among the trees, Katara saw them and yelled.

"Zuko! Sokka!"

A shiver nearly ran down his spine. Katara stomped down the porch with her eyes turned into two blue flames. Zuko wanted to shrink but if he did, Sokka would pretty much fall to the ground. The drunk boy wasn't quite aware of the situation, leaning almost completely on Zuko when they were halfway to the house, claiming he wanted to take a nap and he had just learned Zuko's shoulder was the most comfortable he had ever leaned on.

"Where the hell were you? What happened to him?" Katara continued as she pointed at Sokka.

Alright, Zuko admitted it, this was definitely not the best picture. Sokka was almost limp, and Zuko had an arm tightly wrapped around his waist and both had gone missing for a couple of hours, neither of them picking up their phones. Zuko glanced at the door of the house, Suki and Toph were standing side by side, Suki with her arms crossed over her chest and a look that could only rival Katara's and Toph with a very serious expression, which Zuko had learned was as bad as it could get. He briefly wondered where Aang was.

"Don't look at them, look at me!" Zuko's eyes quickly diverted to Katara. "Where were you and what happened to my brother?"

The burning rage in Katara's eyes almost left him speechless.

"We were in the forest," Zuko muttered, "there's a cliff and — "

"Katara, please, I'm trying to sleep," Sokka softly interrupted.

Katara's face twisted in anger, her fists clenched. It was like words couldn't even begin to express the extent of her anger.

"Katara, I think Sokka's drunk," Zuko rushed, only fearing slightly Katara hit Sokka.

"Drunk?" She shouted. "How does he even — " 

"There's alcohol in this house?" Toph yelled.

Zuko shrugged, "I don't — "

"Where's Aang?"

Zuko's body froze. Aang wasn't here? His face fell blank and Katara was quick to notice, seemingly cooling down some of her anger and replacing it with concern.

"Wait, so Twinkle Toes is not with you?" Toph asked.

"Yeah, he's not answering his phone either," Suki added.

Sokka groaned, "Ugh, he's fine."

As if he was summoned, Appa barked loudly from inside the house and pushed Suki and Toph out of the way while getting out, to then go into the forest. They heard branches break and leaves shake before Aang showed up with a worried expression but as soon as he saw Sokka, his grey eyes widened and let out a sigh of relief.

"I was worr — "

"Where were you?"

Katara's cold tone froze the atmosphere, no one daring to even breathe. Her anger seemed to have completely shifted, from burning fire to sharp ice. Aang visibly swallowed and if it wasn't for his hand on Appa's head, Zuko thought he would've ran.

"I can explain," Aang started, not moving a single muscle.

"Oh, can you?"

Zuko quietly exhaled as Katara walked to Aang very, very slowly.

"I was looking for Sokka," Aang tried again and hurried his next words before Katara could reply. "We were playing when we found a bottle, we made a bet and Sokka lost. I went to the bathroom and when I returned, Sokka wasn't there. I went out to look for him because I didn't want you guys to worry. Things just escalated, I didn't think he could make it very far."

"A bet?" Katara's voice was dangerously low.

"I'm really sorry, and Sokka is too." Aang's eyes were pleading and his words dripped sincerity.

Katara's gaze switched back and forth between Aang and Sokka, who thanks to all the noise was paying attention to his sister and looked slightly more awake.

"I'm not forgiving you two that easily," she looked at Zuko, "neither you." She covered her face with her hands for a second and deeply sighed, as if today had been way more than what she could take. With slow steps, she headed to the house and spoke in a tired voice. "Get in, it's cold outside."

Suki stepped aside to let Katara pass and then took Toph's hand to take her inside, Aang sighed and walked up to Zuko.

"I'm sorry," Aang apologized with his head hanging between his shoulders.

"You're mean but Katara is mean too," Sokka interrupted and closed his eyes again.

"It's fine," Zuko replied to Aang, "you meant no harm. Let's just be thankful Sokka found me."

"Katara's gonna hate me now," Aang sighed.

"I don't think so," and Zuko actually meant it. It was fine if she didn't like Zuko, he accepted it but in reality she couldn't hate Aang. No one could. "She'll get over it, just... don't do anything stupid again."

A giggle left Sokka's mouth and Zuko felt his body softly shake against him. "I guess you can try"

Aang threw him a deadpan look and then shook his head. "Let's get in, we don't want Katara to hate us more for leaving Sokka sleep out in the cold."

Zuko nodded in agreement and walked to the house with an arm around Sokka's waist, who almost tripped with the steps of the porch. There were no signs of the girls inside and the only thing Zuko did was to go upstairs to their room, leaving Aang in the living room with Appa.

Zuko laid down Sokka on his bed below the window and briefly thought about changing the drunk boy into his pajamas but immediately stopped. Sokka slept in loose shorts and a sleeveless shirt, so changing him would mean to leave him in his underwear which Zuko felt wasn't right if Sokka didn't want to.

Instead, Zuko took off Sokka's shoes, untied his hair and made sure he was lying on his side. Zuko didn't even bother turning on the light, he just put on his pajamas and plugged his phone to the charger.

It was when he rested his head on his pillow he actually started to think about his day. First off, he was kind of hungry, given that he skipped breakfast and dinner. Second, if he leaned over a bit, he could see Sokka's bag at the end of his bed and the soda can slightly poking out. Third, he forgot to close the curtains so the moonlight entered through the window and faintly outlined Sokka's figure. Lastly, if he made an effort, Zuko could still feel the rush of adrenaline and the tickling feeling on his lips when he and Sokka kissed.

Zuko was almost afraid to think about it, Sokka sleeping just a few feet in front of him but Zuko reassured himself and told his mind to calm down. Sokka was asleep, he had been drunk and most importantly, it was an accident. It was the same as if Sokka accidently bumped on Zuko and spilled his cup of tea, it was meaningless, completely unimportant.

But if that was the case, why was Zuko's heart beating so fast? His messy thoughts were interrupted by a barely audible whisper.

"Zuko?"

He quickly opened his eyes and looked at Sokka, a few seconds passed before Sokka's strained voice cut the silence of the room again.

"Zuko?"

"What is it?" Zuko whispered back with a slight frown, Sokka didn't sound alright. His breathing was slow but loud, as if he was trying very hard to relax.

"Zuko, I'm feeling sick."

_ Oh, no. _

Zuko pulled away his blankets and got off the bed, then he knelt beside Sokka to see his face.

Sokka's eyes were shut tightly and his skin was slightly pale. It was safe to say Zuko got worried. He rarely got sick and if he was, it was usually a mild cold, nothing a cup of Uncle Iroh's tea and a few days in bed couldn't fix. 

So Zuko pretty much had zero experience in taking care of sick people, and even if Sokka wasn't actually sick, Zuko didn't know how to take care of drunk people either. Still, he tried his best and searched in his head for every single advice Uncle Iroh and his mom had given him.

"Sick as in 'I have a fever' or sick as in 'I'm gonna puke'?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know," Sokka whined and the way his tanned skin didn't shine told Zuko it was most likely the second option. 

Zuko swallowed and rubbed his hands on his pants. "Would you like to get some fresh air?" 

Sokka hummed in response with a small pout on his lips, Zuko frantically nodded and got up to open the window. Unfortunately, the window didn't move an inch, no matter how hard he pushed. He sighed and knelt again.

"I'm sorry, Sokka, I can't open the window," he scrambled his brain for options. "Would you like to go outside for a bit?"

Sokka deeply sighed and nodded.

Zuko helped Sokka sit up and then put an arm around his waist to steady him, because Sokka's entire body language told Zuko he probably wouldn't be able to hold himself for long. They got out of the room and walked downstairs, dodging the furniture painfully slow.

The lights were all off and Aang was nowhere to be seen, so they crossed the living room and opened the front door with no eyes upon them. Sokka stopped Zuko from going to the bench besides the door and instead sat down on the steps of the porch, to which Zuko complied.

Sokka leaned his head on Zuko's shoulder and took a deep breath, then he closed his eyes. The cold slipped through Zuko's fainted pajama hoodie but he didn't mind if this was what Sokka needed. 

They stayed in silence, their breaths being the only sound to break the calm of the night. Zuko looked up and focused in the sky as Sokka relaxed against him. The wind of the afternoon must have pushed the clouds away because this was one of the brightest nights Zuko had seen.

The moon was high up in the sky, a nearly perfect circle and the stars were millions, as if someone splashed the sky with a brush too many times to count them. Back in the city, Zuko rarely got to see the night sky, partially because of the light pollution and partially because he never paid attention to it, always going to sleep rather early.

But now it was everything Zuko could focus on. Well, almost everything. The heat of Sokka's body pressed to his side distracted him way more than he would ever admit and he was pulled out of his thoughts when Sokka breathed in and whispered.

"Why is it that we always end up doing things in the middle of the night?"

Zuko almost shrugged but Sokka looked too comfortable.

"I don't know," Zuko answered.

His voice didn't come out higher than Sokka's and he intended to keep it that way. As if they spoke any louder, reality and everything that came with it would shatter the small bubble of peace they created.

"Sometimes I wonder why, though," Sokka continued. His words were still kind of slurred but it was a different type of slurred than before, his eyes were still closed. "It's like the moon liked us."

Zuko huffed a laugh, "The moon can't  _ like _ things, Sokka."

"What do you know? Have you asked her?" Sokka replied, jokingly annoyed.

"Have you?"

"Touché."

A pause, an owl hooted in the distance and in a spur of courage, Zuko leaned his head against Sokka's.

"I like spending nights with you, Zuko," Sokka whispered, so low Zuko almost didn't hear him.

His heart skipped a beat and his breath got caught on his throat, did Sokka actually said that? Yes, he did. Sokka didn't seem to notice, or ignored, the sudden tension in Zuko's shoulders and continued.

"They're always fun, even if I suddenly want to puke." A laugh softly shook his body.

Zuko opened and closed his mouth to then shut it tightly, one of Uncle Iroh's advices echoing in his head.  _ If you don't know what to say, you may say nothing.  _ Zuko refused to look at Sokka, the slight blush on his cheeks and his faster than normal heartbeat were more than enough.

Sokka might have taken the hint or finally fell asleep, because after a few minutes, there was absolutely no noise coming from him. Zuko leaned over and saw that his eyes were closed and noticed his breathing was steady.

Zuko stared at him for a couple more seconds. The moonlight didn't do Sokka justice, the light was too white and raw; the sunset light from earlier had been the best, making Sokka's cinnamon skin pop. Although Zuko was curious about his eyes, which were almost completely covered by strands of his brown hair. Would his eyes change color with a warm light? Or would the moonlight make them shine like a sapphire or a clear summer sky?

His heart clenched when a barely visible shiver ran through Sokka's body and a small pressure sat on Zuko’s chest when he realized they couldn't actually stay here all night. Pushing guilt aside, he softly shook Sokka awake and told him they needed to get back inside.

Sokka simply mumbled a response Zuko couldn't understand and if he knew better, he'd know the way Sokka was extending his arms meant he wanted to be carried inside. But he didn't. Zuko helped Sokka stand up and guided him inside, supporting almost all of Sokka's weight.

Zuko decided their room was a little bit far away and it was too late for this, so he settled on one of the couches in the living room. He doubted someone would mind. 

He didn't mean to trip with the coffee table and fall on the couch, Sokka's weight suddenly crushed his torso. Sokka's eyebrows furrowed and a groan escaped his mouth.

"Sorry," Zuko whispered as he tried to push Sokka off him.

Sokka seemed to have another idea because he grabbed Zuko's hands and threw them out of the way, letting himself fall on Zuko with his head resting under Zuko's chin. Zuko huffed and tried to calm down his breathing and his heart.

He took the cushion from under his back and left it on the floor as he resigned, trying his hardest to push his thoughts away. It had been a long day and something told him it was only the first of many.


	9. Chapter 9

It was still dark outside when a hand softly shook Zuko's shoulder. He blinked a couple of times and ignored the way he was about to get a cramp on his neck, Suki was staring down at him.

"I think you guys," she whispered as she glanced at Sokka, still sound asleep on top of Zuko, "need to go to bed before someone else wakes up."

Zuko's brain was a bit sluggish but he understood what Suki was referring to. If Katara found them here, they may not leave the house in one piece. Zuko nodded and squirmed until he was free from Sokka's grip. 

With Suki's help they managed to put Sokka's sleeping body on Zuko's back. When he was about to go upstairs, Zuko looked back at Suki, who was searching for something in the cabinets of the kitchen, and mouthed  _ 'thank you' _ . Suki simply nodded and winked at him in complicity.

They made it to the room without Sokka waking up or sliding down and Zuko repeated his actions from earlier. He laid Sokka on his side and tucked him into bed, pulling up the blankets until he was fully covered, only leaving the upper half of his face free. Just in case.

For the record, Zuko did go to bed after that and tried hard to fall asleep but failed miserably. He drifted between sleep and consciousness, tossed and turned a little bit too long until he grew tired of it. The first rays of sunlight slipped through the window but before he could get out of bed, the door of the room creaked open.

Zuko shut his eyes and focused on steading his breathing but his curiosity only let him go so far. As carefully as he could, he opened an eye and saw Katara, still in her pajamas and with sleep in her eyes, putting down a glass of water and two tiny white pills on Sokka's side of the nightstand. She stared for a few seconds at her brother and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Sokka's face.

Then, she left as quietly as she came, Zuko didn't notice her quick glance at him. With a sigh and some tiredness clinging to his body, he put away the blankets, only half ready to face the day. Anxiety and excitement already swimming in his head.

⏳

Turns out, Sokka didn't fully remember the day before and Zuko felt relieved, he didn't have any idea of what he would do if Sokka remembered they kissed. Sokka remembered the bet, drinking, going to find Zuko in the forest and Katara yelling but beyond that, it was kind of a blur. He visibly didn't look the best either, his face was puffy and he had to squint his eyes when he first came downstairs.

Everyone agreed he kind of deserved it for making everyone worry yesterday but they also quickly forgave him and Aang. And although Katara and Suki still looked like they hadn't completely let of their anger, they gladly joined the teasing over breakfast. Which mainly involved Toph theorizing what would've happened if Aang had gotten drunk and a heated debate over who was clinging harder to who last night when they arrived, if Zuko or Sokka.

Their plans for today were set but the weather couldn't seem to decide whether it was on board or not. It was neither hot nor cold outside, the sky was clear but still had some clouds, but as the teenagers they were, they just rolled with the most convenient option. They jumped on the fancy car, squeezing themselves in, which sadly meant leaving Appa and Momo behind, and left for the lake.

This was one of Toph's greatest hobbies from her childhood but she rarely got to do it because swimming in an open space with no one around scared her a little bit and scared her parents way more. But she wasn't alone now and it didn't matter if it was the end of autumn, Toph had made them excited about the idea and they were not going to let go of it.

They drove down the mountain, happiness and excitement spilling from the windows of the car and leaving a trail of loud teenagers on the road. Toph, Sokka and Aang had no shame whatsoever so as soon as Suki put on a song they liked, they took her phone so she couldn't change it and sang at the top of their lungs. Zuko didn't know the song but he didn't need to, the terrible high notes and the spark in Sokka's eyes was enough to make his brain go overdrive with joy.

They had left the house a little bit later than planned so it was just a little bit past midday when Sokka parked the car near the lake. As soon as everyone got off and took a look around, Zuko understood why this was one of Toph's favorite places, even if she couldn't see.

The lake was big and orange leaves of the trees were perfectly reflected in the clear surface and the sun heated up Zuko’s skin, it stole his breath away but that wasn't the end of it. He followed Toph's example and took off his shoes before walking to the shore, the grass tickled his toes but in the right way. It felt fresh, it felt freeing. 

Nature filled his lungs, air so clean it made Zuko feel like he was going to choke. He couldn't stop a smile from taking over his face. It was so beautiful it had to be a dream.

Laughs and shouts reminded that no, this wasn't a dream. This was real. Toph was dragging Suki to the lake and Aang and Sokka were pretending to run into the water so trick the other into jumping while Katara stared fondly at them as she braided her hair. It all made Zuko's chest tighten.

Aang was the first to completely get in the water for mere seconds because he managed to grab Sokka's hands and dragged him as well. Thanks to the distraction, Toph did the same to Suki. 

Aang splashed around and swimmed to the shore but rushed back in as soon as his upper body was out. Sokka's head broke the surface and then he beamed at Zuko.

"Come on, Zuko! What are you waiting for?"

Zuko didn't answer, he just smiled back.

"It isn't that cold," Aang said while moving as much as he could.

Toph's next words made the smile on Zuko's face drop, "Come on, Zuko, you don't want me to send Suki to get you."

_ She wouldn't. _

She totally did.

Suki crossed looks with Sokka and Aang and for a split second time froze before everyone got out of the water and started chasing Zuko, who ran for dear life. 

He didn't make it very far though, in reality he didn't stand a chance against those three but that didn't stop him from trying and smiling as he did. Zuko didn't know why he was running until he was cornered and realized it was just for the sake of playing. Letting go and play with his friends.

Sokka and Aang took his arms while Suki grabbed his legs and in a matter of seconds, they swinged him and threw him into the lake. The cold water swallowed him and everything in Zuko contracted, his skin chilled and a little bit of water went up his nose.

When his head poked out of the lake, his whole body was slightly shaking, especially his hands when he ran them through his hair to brush it away from his face. Sokka jumped back in the water and splashed at Zuko, who without a trace of remorse, splashed back at Sokka and grinned.

And that's how the afternoon flew by. With everyone playing around in the lake, sometimes drying in the barely heating sun and resting on the grass. The most epic water war happened and laughs never ended, Zuko didn't remember the last time he laughed this much and this hard.

By the time they had to go, they were shivering and starving, and even had to drag Sokka out of the water because he refused to get out. The ride back to the house was way more silent, tiredness making everyone's eyelids heavy and Sokka took advantage of that and made Zuko sit in the passenger seat.

Zuko didn't question it, especially because Sokka didn't say anything about it either so Zuko just stared out the window at the setting sun. There was no music this time and right now, Zuko preferred it that way. It allowed him to focus on the trees or the faint noise the car made against the road, he was almost asleep when they arrived at the house.

Everything dragged their feet inside and agreed to take quick showers to heat up their bodies before eating something. Zuko was one of the last ones, claiming he wasn't that cold anyways so when he came downstairs, Sokka, who was the first one to shower, gave him a plate and a tired smile.

The group sat around in the living room as they ate, the fire cracking behind them as they talked about the last few days. The promise of a Twister rematch, the promise of remembering to tell if next time there's no food and the promise of letting others know if they were going to drink. 

At some point, Zuko looked around and softly sighed. He was tired, yes, but if someone asked if he would relive that last three days, he wouldn't hesitate in saying yes. It was the first time in a long time, he felt at peace. Not calm or happy, at peace. Like a warm, fuzzy feeling that spread through his chest and reached every fiber of his being. The kind of feeling that made his default expression a faint smile instead of a scowl. 

Zuko was falling asleep on the couch when he was startled by someone taking his empty plate from his hands. He blinked and saw Sokka, with his hair loose and still wet from the shower and an apologetic smile on his face. He shouldn't apologize for waking him up, Zuko thought, especially because it wasn't an unpleasant view to wake up to. The firelight made Sokka's skin shine, as if it was gold and Zuko had the urge to touch it but he couldn't lift a finger, he was too tired.

Some goodnights were said and maybe he replied but after a few minutes, Zuko heard Sokka's voice gently whispering to him to go to bed. Zuko hummed and barely jerked when Sokka wrapped an arm around his waist and carried him upstairs.

He vaguely felt Sokka take off his shoes and tuck him under the blankets and it might have been his tired brain, but the next morning, Zuko could've swore he had seeing Sokka staring at the extra blanket at the foot of the bed, as if he was evaluating if he should put it on top of Zuko. 

Zuko barely remembered anything after that, but what he did remember was how easily he fell asleep. It usually didn't happen that easily, he often had to focus on clearing his mind and even count but not now, not tonight. His heart was full and everything inside of him was warm, all of the tension gone and his problems momentarily forgotten. 

If Zuko was asked how to describe it, he would say it felt safe. 

That it felt like home.

⏳

Like every bit of happiness in Zuko's life, it wasn't meant to last. 

They returned to the city on Sunday, Yu picked them up and per Toph's order, he dropped everyone at their corresponding places. The trip was a little bit less exhausting than the previous one but that didn't stop him from wanting to take a nap when he arrived in the afternoon. Nevertheless, he still sat down with Uncle Iroh, who despite Zuko's protests made him dinner, and talked about his trip for hours. 

Waking up on Monday morning to go school felt like a dream, or rather a nightmare and at the same time extremely real, like the weight of it glued Zuko to bed. With a deep sigh, he got up anyways.

Time passed by incredibly slowly, the only thing keeping Zuko away from simply leaving the place was seeing his newfound friends at lunch. Because that's what they were, Uncle Iroh made him realize last night. He had just made a simple comment, something about inviting his friends to the Jasmine Dragon whenever he wanted and Uncle Iroh might make everyone a discount, but it resonated within Zuko. There were no other words to describe the group but 'friends'.

Zuko's excitement went downhill when he saw Aang and Suki under the tree they used to have lunch together. Now, don't get him wrong, he was happy about seeing them but the cheerful expressions they usually had on their faces were gone. To an outsider, they looked completely normal but to Zuko, they looked gloomy, almost sad.

He walked over trying not to let concern and his imagination get the best of him. "Hi."

"Hi, Zuko," Aang answered.

Suki let out a sigh, "What's up?"

"I'm fine but what's up with you? You look..."  _ Well, sad. _

"Sokka didn't tell you?" Suki asked.

Something sank inside Zuko, "Tell me what?"

"He got sick and Katara stayed to take care of him," Aang answered. "She told me he was feeling a little bit dizzy last night after Yu dropped us off but today he woke up weak and with a fever."

Zuko's eyes widened and let worry take over him. "What? Is he...? Why didn't he — "

"Look," Suki interrupted with a guilty look in her eyes, "I shouldn't tell you this but I like you so it doesn't sit right with me to lie to you."

She locked eyes with Aang for a moment, who shared the same kind of guilty look as her. Aang shrugged and hesitantly nodded.

"I talked to Sokka in the morning and objectively he didn't sound alright," Suki continued. "He probably got sick after turning purple in the lake and being as he is, he shrugged it off and intended to come but Katara caught him. He didn't tell you because he didn't want to skip your math lesson tomorrow and didn't want you to worry."

Different emotions ran through Zuko's face. Anger at Sokka for being reckless and trying to pull through when he was feeling like crap. Worry, because Zuko didn't know how bad Sokka was actually feeling but above all, he felt understanding. Yes, he wanted to slap Sokka but Zuko would have probably done the exact same thing if he was sick. Zuko couldn't blame him.

"Zuko?" Aang's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah? I'm..." He struggled with words, what did you say when someone was sick but the person wasn't exactly present? "Well, that... sucks, I hope he gets better soon."

Zuko meant what he said and even if it wasn't his most eloquent speech, Suki and Aang saw his intention and nodded.

Aang sighed, "Yeah, me too."

⏳

Zuko wanted to slap himself for being just as reckless as Sokka intended to be but he ignored his common sense and walked out of the Jasmine Dragon with a determined look and a bag of freshly baked cookies, not his apartment, but to Sokka's house.

He tried to move on with his day, not letting the worry occupy all of his thoughts, even after Sokka didn't answer his text asking how he was. Sokka was just sick, maybe he was sleeping.

But Zuko's thoughts couldn't be managed as easily as he'd like. After the second cup he spilled, thankfully still in the kitchen, Uncle Iroh asked if something was wrong. Zuko simply told him Sokka had gotten sick after the trip and Uncle Iroh gave him an understanding look but before he suggested Zuko to go home early, Zuko asked if he could use the oven to bake something.

And that's how he ended up here, at the bus stop, holding the slightly warm paper bag with both hands to heat them up. It was already dark outside but after skipping so many shifts at the Jasmine Dragon, Zuko felt guilty about leaving early.

The ride was fairly quiet, despite the bus being full with people who were going home, most of them on their phones or with emotionless expressions in their faces. Quiet. It gave Zuko time to think about how he was going to do all of this and to calm down his heart.

He texted Sokka in the afternoon but he still hasn't answered, which was weird because Sokka always texted back. Zuko didn't think Katara would simply let him walk him and see Sokka, maybe she would just take the cookies and say Sokka was asleep. By the time Zuko got to the house, he had completely run out of ideas.

He was almost resigned to knock on the door when an idea suddenly popped in his head. Maybe it was stupid and reckless but he was here already and the chance was right in front of him. Besides, he wanted to see Sokka and it was almost ten o'clock, he didn't want to risk Katara telling him no.

Zuko walked past the side of the house and slid between the fence that separated Sokka's house from Aang's. He quietly thanked the universe that neither Sokka or Katara had a dog when he reached the small backyard and stopped in front of what should be Sokka's window.

The blinds were closed and there was no light coming from the inside of the room and for a second, Zuko feared he was actually wrong about this whole thing. He shook his head and mentally apologized to Sokka before taking his phone and marking Sokka's number.

Zuko barely saw any change inside the room, guilt and regret already creeping into his head. He was about to give up when after long beeps, Sokka's picked up with a raspy voice.

"Zuko?"

"Hi." Zuko panicked a little bit, he honestly didn't think he'd made it this far.

"What is it? Did something ha — "

"No, I'm fine," Zuko interrupted and mentally set a reminder to never do this again without letting Sokka know beforehand. But well, he was here already. "I was just wondering if I could come in?"

"What?" 

Zuko sighed and thanked the cold weather because he could use it as an excuse for his red cheeks. "I'm outside, can I come in?"

Sokka sounded even more confused, if that was possible. "I mean, yeah. Just ring the bell, Katara will — "

Zuko didn't wait for Sokka to finish because he hung up and opened the window, to then get in without a trace of gracefulness or elegance. A dim yellow light suddenly illuminated the room, Sokka was half seated in his bed with a hand in the switch of the lamp on the nightstand and a shocked gaze.

Zuko quickly closed the window and awkwardly stood, his brain shutting down. Yeah, he definitely didn't plan this far.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?" Sokka whispered.

"I, uh, came to see you."

"Why did...?" Sokka's expression turned frustrated as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I told Suki not to tell you, I'm fine"

He didn't exactly look fine, in Zuko's opinion. Of course, outside of the fact Sokka looked really good on a regular basis. His hair was loose and messy, as if he hadn't even made the effort to put it in a ponytail in the entire day and his eyes looked tired and puffy, his shirt way too big for his frame.

"You don't exactly look fine," Zuko said.

Sokka threw him a deadpan look, "Thanks."

"I'm sorry, it's just you didn't answer my texts and Suki and Aang told me you weren't okay. I got worried"

Zuko's rushed words softened Sokka's gaze. 

"I'm sorry I didn't answer," Sokka flopped back on bed and closed his eyes. "I haven't looked at my phone all day."

There wasn't any type of chair around, except the one near Sokka's desk but that one was occupied by clothes, which Zuko thought he didn't have the right to move so he sat on the floor right beside Sokka's bed, staying at eye level with him.

"It's okay," Zuko replied, trying not to blush too hard, then he smiled and raised the paper bag. "I made you some cookies."

Sokka opened his eyes and spoke with excitement in his voice, "Really?"

Zuko nodded and gave Sokka the bag. His fingers brushed against Sokka's, who gasped and wrapped both of his hands around one of Zuko's.

"Zuko, you're freezing."

"And you're burning," Zuko replied with a frown as he put a hand on Sokka's forehead. On the outside Sokka didn't look that bad but now Zuko realized his skin was on fire. 

A few seconds passed before Sokka deemed Zuko's hand warm enough. Then he took the bag and grabbed a cookie, followed by a hum of pleasure

"You are godsend, Zuko."

Zuko smiled and let Sokka eat his cookies, finding joy as every person who liked to cook did when someone liked their cooking. They stayed in silence, Zuko watching as Sokka happily munched with his eyes closed. 

There were about five cookies left when Sokka stopped and put the bag in the nightstand, claiming he wanted to save some for when he got better and could taste them in their full splendor, even when Zuko told him he could always bake more.

A minute or two must have passed, Sokka lying on his side with his hands under his head, just breathing and considerably less grumpy than before, and Zuko quietly staring at him, tracing with his eyes the freckles he just found in Sokka's cheeks now that he was so close.

Suddenly, a sigh left Sokka's mouth. "I know it's late but do you think you could get me some ice cream?"

The question completely threw off Zuko. The entire situation hadn't been thought through but he still has some common sense in him.

"Sokka, you can't get ice cream. You're sick."

Sokka snorted, "Says the one who just brought me cookies."

"I tried to make them healthy," Zuko defended himself. "You should have things like… I don't know, soup."

"I don't like hot things," Sokka paused to rephrase that. "Well, I don't like hot foods. The only hot thing I like is coffee and Katara won't let me have that either." A pout twisted his lips. "I like cold things, like watermelon, the weather, the lake or the sea at our beach."

"Our beach?" 

"Mine and mom's beach."

Absolute silence fell between them and Zuko didn't dare to break it. 

The only thing Zuko knew about Sokka and Katara's mom is that she didn't live in the house with them. That was it, that was the end of it because Sokka never talked about her and Zuko respected that, he didn't talk much about his own mother either. But Zuko would lie if he said he wasn't at least a little bit curious about the woman in some picture frames, who had the same bright smile Sokka had and Katara's gentle eyes when she wasn't looking at Zuko.

Sokka's eyes were still closed and his breathing was even, to the point Zuko thought he was asleep but after a minute, Sokka continued in a very hushed voice.

"Well, it's actually mine, mom, dad and Katara's beach," he paused and then sighed. "You may wonder why she's not here or why dad's rarely home."

Zuko felt like he shouldn't interrupt, so even if Sokka couldn't see him, he nodded. Zuko knew Sokka knew he was listening.

"We used to live at the beach, at least ten years ago, all together. It was a small town actually but we were happy, Katara and I could play the entire day at the beach. Dad would physically have to drag us out of the water because we were shivering and our fingers were turning blue.

We got home and dropped dead on the couch until they woke us up for dinner. Usually it was dad because he got off work earlier than mom. She was a nurse so she often got late night shifts but we always waited for her to have dinner."

Sokka's voice slightly trembled but his face was still and his eyes shut.

"Sometimes I wished she hadn't been so good at helping people, wished she had had a different job so could've spent more time with her. 

It was a rare day in which her shift ended earlier, way earlier than normal. Dad asked to be let off early at work so he could pick up me and Katara from school.

When we got home, Katara entered first because she was excited about telling mom something she had done in class, not noticing the door was opened. She screamed, Zuko. She screamed so loud I heard it in nightmares for years. We ran in and saw mom on the floor, with a pool of blood around her and the house made a mess. We called an ambulance but it was useless, by the time it got there she was gone."

Sokka's voice was so strained it hurt Zuko, as if someone was trying to squeeze his heart until it burst.

"The police never caught the robber and that was what tipped over the glass. We couldn't stay there, it was too painful for everyone. Dad cried at night when he thought we were asleep and Katara completely shut herself. I don't remember much.

Dad needed a new job, because without mom, it was barely enough for all three. He got a job here in the city so we moved but the downside is that the job doesn't let him spend a lot of time at home. The house at the beach is still ours though and sometimes we go for the holidays, because we all know mom wouldn't like us drowning in the past and leaving of our memories behind."

"I'm sorry," Zuko said, and he meant it.

Because essentially that was all he could say. He was speechless and as a person who had lost their mother as well, he knew there was no pain like it but he also knew everyone was different and he couldn't say he understood what Sokka had been through when in reality he didn't. 

"Your mom sounds like she was a really good person," Zuko added.

"She was, you would've liked her and I think she would've liked you too," Sokka softly replied and finally opened his eyes, which were slightly glistening. Then, he chuckled and rubbed them, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this, it's boring "

"It's not boring," Zuko rushed, "and you don't have to apologize."

Sokka stared at him for a few seconds with something Zuko couldn't identify. Fondness? Doubt? Even if he couldn't decide and slightly feared knowing the answer, Zuko continued.

"Thank you for telling me."  _ For trusting me. _

"Thank you for listening."

The corner of Zuko's mouth slowly raised. "Any time."


	10. Chapter 10

Zuko felt like he had two choices. Okay, maybe three. He could jump off a bridge, pull out his brain out of his head or he could drop out of school because there was no way the creeping anxiety and fear were going to let him answer his next math test.

But Uncle Iroh and Sokka would drag him to the classroom by force if it was necessary. 

Sokka returned to school on Thursday but due to Doctor Katara's orders, he was not going to tutor Zuko that day. And surprisingly he agreed, he just went to tutor Zuko on Friday. Zuko's test was on Monday and Sokka refused to let him face that alone.

They were in Zuko's bed going through functions when Zuko decided it had been enough, after the second time Sokka got a slope wrong. The spark in his blue eyes wasn't as bright and his voice wasn't nearly as cheerful or excited, not even when Zuko managed to get an equation right. 

Zuko knew that maybe it was none of his business but there was something inside of him that wanted to make sure Sokka was okay, or to at least ask him if something was wrong. And if it was, Zuko wanted to go and do something about it.

He suddenly took the pencil Sokka was using from his hand and closed the book and his copybook, leaving Sokka with a shocked and confused look.

"Zuko, what — "

"I think we'd have enough math for today." The weekend still had two days left and it's not like Zuko hadn't pulled an all-nighter before.

Sokka seemed to want to protest but instead, he shut his mouth and stared at Zuko with a slight frown and anxious eyes, as if he knew why Zuko stopped the lesson. Zuko slowly inhaled and tried to speak in the gentlest voice he could.

"You look sad, Sokka. Is there something wrong?"

Sokka shrugged and rushed his next words. "No, I'm fine. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Sokka," in a spurt of courage, Zuko reached out and squeezed Sokka's hand as he locked eyes with him, "you can tell me."

Sokka visibly swallowed and conflict swimmed in his eyes. His expression was now vulnerable, as if words were on the tip of his tongue but his lips were glued together. Sokka looked down at his lap and shrugged again.

"It's stupid really, it's not anything important."

"I'm sure whatever it is, it isn't stupid, Sokka," Zuko replied struggling to hide the annoyance in his voice, Sokka shouldn't invalid his problems like this. "I can see it makes you sad, so it is important."

The silence seemed to stretch on forever and Zuko feared to have crossed the line, but after a few seconds, Sokka let his shoulders drop and slowly breathed in.

"I just had a fight with Katara yesterday, and it continued for a bit this morning."

Zuko may not know a lot about comforting people but he did know that the least he could do when he couldn't offer advice, was to listen. He nodded and gave another squeeze to Sokka's hand.

"We usually fight for meaningless things," Sokka continued in a dim voice, "like who ate the last peach or who's turn to do the dishes was but yesterday..." He shook his head and deeply sighed. "I just don't really want to go home tonight."

Sokka's voice sounded so tired, way more than what he let himself show and it pained Zuko to hear it. He wanted to see Sokka smile. Not because it was his moral duty or something dumb like that, it was because Sokka's toothy grin brought Zuko an amazing joy and genuinely wanted to see Sokka happy. 

An idea popped in Zuko's head.

"There's not much I can about that," he started, his heart already quickening in his chest, "but I think I can cheer you up, or at least, make your next hour here a bit happier."

Sokka looked up and the hint of a smile showed up on his face. "Yeah? And how would you do that, Joy?"

"Come with me."

Zuko got up with a smirk and walked to the door of his room but then backtracked his steps and went to his closet.

"It's very cold up there and you're a little bit undressed for that," Zuko said as he gave Sokka a black hoodie. 

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Sokka asked. 

They were entering winter and he was wearing a plain blue shirt and a simple jacket but that was it. Nevertheless, he took Zuko's hoodie.

"Trust me," Zuko looked at him in the eye, "it's cold up there."

Sokka eyed him suspiciously as he shook his head and huffed a laugh but he put on the hoodie under his jacket anyways. Zuko guided him out of his room and stopped in the kitchen to make a coffee and a tea. He gave Sokka his mug, grabbed the keys and walked out the door, all with Sokka's questioning stare on him.

Instead of going down the stairs as Sokka probably expected, Zuko let a smug expression set on his face and walked upstairs. There were seven floors in the building but given it was an old one it didn't have an elevator. 

Zuko could pretty much hear Sokka's questions running in his head but Sokka didn't say anything, just followed Zuko until they stopped in front of a brown, rusty looking door above the seventh floor. Carefully balancing his mug, Zuko pushed the barely functional door and stepped outside, Sokka on his heels. 

The rooftop wasn't exactly pretty, that wasn't debatable. It was mostly gravel and a couple of air con units, beyond that it was empty. But Zuko couldn't be happier about choosing the correct time to come up there.

The wind was blowing hard, which made Zuko's hair get in the way of his eyes and he was sure that if he wasn't wearing at least three layers, he would turn around and go back inside. But honestly, something inside him told him that even if he was shirtless, he would come here just to see the spark in Sokka's eyes be restored.

It was almost dark outside, the sun already set but some of its light still illuminated the horizon. There were barely any stars, and the ones that shined in the sky were weak, which was actually Zuko's only pity but thankfully, it hadn't been a cloudy day so the moon hung high over their heads, without nothing to stop her.

It may sound odd but this was the best part of the city. The building's lights looked like splashes of color, as if it had rained stars and suddenly decided to glow on the ground instead of the sky. It all stole Zuko's breath away and apparently Sokka's too, because as soon as he stepped outside, he abruptly stopped.

Zuko had a feeling Sokka would've stayed there for hours to admire the view so he gently took Sokka's hand and walked to the edge of the rooftop. They didn't sit on it though, they sat right behind the small concrete wall. Zuko, whose nose was already pink, sipped his tea.

"I come here sometimes," he said. "When I need a break, or to think. Sometimes just to enjoy the view."

"I can see why."

Sokka stared at the lights and for a second bit his lip. Zuko wanted to tell him that whatever he had in mind, he could say it because Zuko would do anything but judge him. But as he looked at Sokka's stormy eyes, Zuko realized that the fight with Katara may not be the end of the story. 

"Zuko, have you ever..." Sokka started, doubt dripping from his words, "have you ever had something to say you think is the best and worst thing you could possibly say?"

Zuko thought hard about it, it wasn't an easy question after all, but Sokka seemed like he had all the time in the world and would probably wait for Zuko twice that long. 

"Once, when I came out to Uncle Iroh," he finally answered, after a long silence. "You'll see, my family are not the most supportive people out there and I was so scared Uncle turned out like that, even if deep down I knew he wouldn't. I wanted to tell him because it felt right but at the same I couldn't, I feared too much the consequences. It took me over a year to do it."

His voice ended barely above a whisper but somehow his heart was calm and it felt like a weight he didn't know was there had been lifted off his shoulders. Sokka slowly nodded and sipped his coffee.

Without saying a word, he scooted over to sit right beside Zuko and leaned his head on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko's heart skipped a beat, flashes of a deep forest and slurred words suddenly running through his head. Sokka closed his eyes and deeply sighed.

"I'm tired, Zuko."

The weight of Sokka's words was almost as heavy as the Earth itself.

"I'm tired of running so fast all the time and still feeling like life if slipping right through my fingers," he continued. "I try to do as much as I can. I do sports, I study, I mostly eat healthy and I help others but I still feel like I'm missing something. And it's funny because I told dad the other day about it and what he said sounded so much like mom it hurt."

Zuko held his mug with one hand and put his arm around Sokka's shoulders.

"Dad said I should stop running," Sokka sniffled. "That if I stopped, I could take a breath and look at the view but I don't know how. I've ran through life ever since mom left because I wanted to be the son she wanted and the one dad needed but I think I was wrong. I want to stop but I don't know how to do that on my own.

Don't get me wrong, I love Katara, I would give my life for her. I love Suki too and at this point, Aang already has a place in my heart but they're not..."

Sokka suddenly stopped himself and left Zuko's shoulder to look at him in the face. Sokka's eyes were shining in the dark, the city stars reflected on them, like the space Zuko remembered he liked so much. Sokka's face was really close and Zuko didn't dare to move or to breathe, his heart loudly beating against his chest.

Sokka's eyes glanced at Zuko's lips before coming back up.

"Zuko, I — "

A sudden crack shattered the silence of the night, Zuko quickly jerked away from Sokka, who did the same. Zuko looked behind him with a hand on his chest, Uncle Iroh was standing at the door of the rooftop.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted something," he said and Zuko honestly couldn't reply, his heart was about to come out of his mouth. Besides, Uncle Iroh looked like he genuinely was sorry. "But I made dinner and I thought you two might be hungry."

The only lights outside were from the buildings and if Zuko's internal clock was right, it was just a little bit past the hour Sokka used to leave. 

"Oh," he said and the disappointment in his voice punched Zuko in the gut. "Yeah, it's late, I should be going."

"No," Zuko didn't think and grabbed Sokka's hand before he could get up. Zuko swallowed and pushed out his words. "Stay."

Sokka's eyes hesitated.

"For dinner, I mean," Zuko added, not even half as sure as before. “Only if you want to…”

Something in Sokka's face softened and he stared at Zuko's eyes for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay," the corner of his lips raised up, "I'll stay for dinner."

Zuko softly smiled back at him before getting up.

⏳

It was already late and the later it was, the sadder Sokka looked. The dinner went amazing, Zuko almost forgetting what Sokka had wanted to tell him before. The fact the Sokka and Uncle Iroh had the same type of dad jokes and pun humor took over the evening.

But that didn't stop Zuko from noticing Sokka glancing at his phone from time to time, maybe waiting for text from Katara that never came. The more time it passed, the gloomier Sokka grew because that meant he had to go home. He was doing the dishes, despite Uncle Iroh's protests, when an idea suddenly crossed Zuko's mind. 

"Sokka," he started as he leaned on the counter, "I know you don't want to go home."

Sokka held his breath and his whole body froze for a split second. He closed off the water faucet and stood very still, the yellow sponge dripping foam from his hand.

He sighed and went back to the dishes, "So what? Everyone has to, right?"

Zuko slowly breathed in and spoke in the most casual tone he could muster, "You could stay here tonight."

Sokka froze for the second time, then he looked at Zuko. "You don't have to — "

"No, I don't but I want to."

The determination in Zuko's voice apparently wasn't all that necessary because Sokka easily seemed to have slipped into the idea but some doubt still swimmed in his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Zuko firmly nodded, "Absolutely."

Sokka finished doing the dishes in no time. Zuko quickly let Uncle Iroh know that Sokka was staying and the only thing he told Zuko was to make sure Sokka had enough blankets. 

Zuko lent Sokka one of the many pajama sweatpants he had and told Sokka to keep the hoodie. What Sokka said after he returned from the bathroom made Zuko want to slap him.

"You know? I haven't sat much on your couch but I just did and I think I'm gonna sleep like a log there."

"You what?” Zuko exclaimed. “Sokka, you're not sleeping on the couch."

That genuinely seemed to confuse Sokka. "I'm not?"

"No! Because one) it's too small, you'd wake up with a cramp and two) neither I nor Uncle would allow that to happen."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Zuko patted the spot beside him in the bed. "Now, turn off the light and get in."

Zuko's bed wasn't the biggest but it definitely had enough space for two teenagers. Sokka did as Zuko told him to and got under the covers. Sokka laid down on his side and Zuko stayed seated against the headboard, both of them scrolling down on their phones.

He didn't realize he was falling asleep until Sokka took his phone from his hands and put on the nightstand to then softly whisper him to lay down as well. Zuko listened to him and closed his eyes again as his head hit the pillow.

He didn't mind facing Sokka, tiredness fogging up his mind too much to focus on that; he even managed to push away thoughts about his test. 

Zuko was almost asleep, the only thing keeping him awake was the desire to tell Sokka goodnight but he couldn't move, much less to talk or think. He was about to completely go when he heard a faint whisper.

Something that vaguely resembled a 'thank you'.


	11. Chapter 11

Sokka thought Zuko almost looked like a completely different person when he was asleep and at the same time more him than ever.

His features were relaxed, his cheek was squished against the pillow and there was no frown between his eyebrows. He looked so young and Sokka struggled so hard not to brush Zuko's dark hair away from his eyes. 

Sokka's eyelids were heavy and a yawn escaped from his mouth. This wasn't fair, he didn't want to go to sleep but as he told Zuko earlier, he was tired. 

The only person Sokka had told that was his dad, after weeks of thinking about it and Zuko, without a single word, made Sokka feel like he could say anything and everything and nothing wrong would ever happen. Zuko created a bubble around them, which apparently he didn't realize he did, and made Sokka feel safe, made him feel warm, made him loved.

The irony of the fact that the only thing he still couldn't tell Zuko were his feelings made him want to laugh.

Sokka tried today, he really did and as much as he liked Uncle Iroh, he wished he had showed up just a few minutes later but at the same he couldn't have been more thankful for his presence. 

There was so much Sokka was feeling, the first time he felt this intensely in a long time but for now, he'd have to wait. He sighed, he would wait an awful lot of time for Zuko.

"Thank you," he whispered, as it was the closest thing to what he was feeling right now.

_ Because even if it was only for an hour, you managed to stop time for me. _


	12. Chapter 12

It was a Saturday morning and everyone would think people woke up late those days but not Zuko. He woke pretty much at the same hour every single day and it was both a blessing and a curse. When he opened his eyes, it took him about three seconds to remember the day before and less than one to realize he was alone in bed. Had it been a dream? 

Faint laughs coming from the kitchen told him that no, it had been real and it also told him Sokka's sleep schedule might be crazier than his own. Rubbing his eyes, he went to the kitchen and found Sokka, still in Zuko's pajama set, talking with Uncle Iroh over the countertop.

"Zuko!" Sokka beamed at him, "Good morning!"

"How did you sleep?" Uncle Iroh gave a mug with tea.

Zuko had to stop for a moment before answering, "I slept great actually."

Sokka threw him a smile over his cup of coffee.

⏳

It was in the middle of breakfast when Sokka's phone vibrated and turned his bubbly attitude into the dim Sokka he was yesterday while doing math. 

Zuko quickly put down his mug, "Who is it? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Sokka put down the phone and sighed, "it's just Katara and I think I have to go back."

"Oh, that's — "

"And quickly, " Sokka added.

He apologized to Uncle Iroh and went to Zuko's room to pick his stuff and when he came back, this time with his jeans, he thanked Uncle Iroh for the food and the hospitality. When he turned to Zuko, Sokka seemed to turn speechless but the big grin he gave Zuko was enough.

"I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

"I'll see you on Monday," Zuko replied in the direction of a running Sokka down the stairs. Zuko didn't have the heart to tell Sokka he was still wearing his hoodie.

Given it was Saturday they could open the Jasmine Dragon just a little bit later than usual. Zuko found Uncle Iroh inside, still having breakfast around the coffee table and staring at him with a knowing look.

"What?" Zuko asked, avoiding his uncle's eyes.

Uncle Iroh softly chuckled, "Nothing."

They both knew that was a blunt lie but nevertheless Zuko ignored it and sat again on the couch, to then pick up his mug. They spent a few minutes in silence, enjoying the morning light that entered through the window until Uncle Iroh spoke.

"I like Sokka, you know?"

Zuko stared at him in slight confusion. Yeah, he liked Sokka too, he was smart, kind, funny and handsome; Uncle Iroh wasn't special.

"He's a good boy," Zuko's uncle continued.

"What's your point?" Zuko abruptly asked. Uncle Iroh wasn't one to go around with riddles. Some things he said weren't the most comprehensible at first but he usually was straight forward.

"Nothing, nothing. I just wanted you to know that." Uncle Iroh sipped his cup of tea and finally seemed to decide the right thing to say. "I can see why you like him, you should invite him more often. You look happier when he's around."

Zuko choked on his tea and nearly dropped his mug, then he coughed with a hand on his chest. Uncle Iroh's eyes were a mix between concern and amusement, clearly trying to fight off a smile.

"What's so funny?" Zuko grumpily asked with his face completely red. Whether it was due to coughing or embarrassment, it was a mystery.

Uncle Iroh just fondly stared at his nephew, not a single word leaving his mouth.

Zuko glared back at him but his anger didn't last more than a minute, Uncle Iroh's words repeating in his head. His heart skipped a beat, suddenly understanding the meaning behind his uncle's words.

_ What? No. Uncle must have finally lost his mind, all the tea rotted something in his head. _

_ Unless... _

Thoughts inside Zuko's head ran faster than light, faster than anything he could possibly put an order to. He suddenly couldn't breathe right, his mouth was dry and his chest tight. Everything that had happened in the last weeks flashing in front of his eyes, that somehow only had one thing in common. Sokka.

_ Oh. _

_ Oh, no. _

Zuko was speechless, a blank stare on his eyes. Uncle Iroh got up, took Zuko's empty mug from his hands and caressed the side of his head.

Then a soft smile spread across his face, "I think you can tell him on Monday."

⏳

Of course Zuko didn't.

The weekend went by in a flash, because he had already told Uncle Iroh he would help at the Jasmine Dragon on Saturday and on Sunday, he dedicated the entire day to study. His test was hours away and he couldn't afford to blow it up, whatever he felt for Sokka could wait a couple of days.

Zuko successfully avoided thinking about Sokka the entire weekend and on Monday morning, he kind of wished he didn't. 

The nerves ruined Zuko's sleep so he was awake a little bit earlier than usual and by the time he usually woke up, the doorbell rang. Zuko cautiously opened the door, not really knowing what to expect but he definitely didn't expect Sokka, who had a big smile on his face and Zuko's favorite snack in his hand. His heart skipped a beat and then hammered against his chest, the test forgotten for a few seconds.

"I came to pick you up," Sokka greeted. "Well, to accompany you to school would fit better because dad and Katara agreed this wasn't an emergency."

Zuko opened and closed his mouth, and then huffed a laugh. Of course Sokka would be the type to do this. Zuko was already ready to go so after quickly saying goodbye to Uncle Iroh, Zuko and Sokka left for school.

On their way, they talked about functions and slopes instead of whatever they had done on the weekend, or space or literature. Zuko's palms were sweating, he needed all the help he could get.

The bell had already ringed but Sokka didn't care and walked Zuko to his classroom, to wish him good luck. The fierce faith in Sokka's eyes made Zuko's feel like, for once, he may succeed in a math test.

⏳

It was Friday when Zuko got his test back and his heart was about to come out of his chest when the teacher gave him the paper. He didn't want to look at it, anything but looking at it. Hope was crushing his chest and disappointment at the possibility of having failed after working so hard was crushing him as well.

Very slowly and carefully, Zuko opened an eye and glanced at the test. The air was knocked out of his lungs.

_ B- _

He nearly let out a scream, all the pressure inside of him disappeared. If he hadn't been in a class, he might have teared up a bit; his hands were slightly shaking. All of the effort, the headaches and staying up on Sunday paid off. He had to tell Sokka.

The seconds felt like hours but when lunch time finally arrived, Zuko ran out the door to Sokka's class with the biggest smile on his face. 

Coincidentally, when he arrived at the classroom, Sokka was also rushing out the door so they clashed against each other and nearly fell to the floor. Zuko believed he’d a heart attack when he thought the paper in his hand might rip.

People were passing by but neither of them cared, Sokka grabbed Zuko's shoulder to stop from falling and Zuko shoved his test on Sokka's face. It took him a second to process it but when he did, Sokka's eyes widened and then let out a shout of joy.

"I knew it! I knew you would ace it!"

Sokka grabbed Zuko's cheeks and Zuko wrapped his hands around Sokka's wrists. Thrill was running through his veins, thoughts too quick to catch or to voice. Zuko's face hurt from how big his smile was and the fact that Sokka's was equally as big was the cherry on top. He frantically nodded and squeezed Sokka's hands.

Their faces were inches apart, Zuko could see the tiny freckles on Sokka's nose and how bright his eyes were, as if Zuko was a star. Suddenly, his heartbeat quickened for a variety of reasons instead of just one and he became aware of how close they were. He held in his breath as he tried to remember how his lungs worked.

"Come to the beach with me," Sokka blurted.

Shock settled on Zuko's face, the words not making full sense yet.

"Next week. For Thanksgiving, dad, Katara and I are going to the beach," Sokka explained with a spark on his eyes. "Come with us."

Zuko's mouth hung open, Sokka's hands slowly slid away and his proposal finally made it to Zuko's brain. Zuko's heart was beating on his fingertip with the urge to say yes. Yes, yes to wherever Sokka wanted to take him because Zuko knew he'd have fun but at the same time, hesitation creeped on his mind.

"I — "

"Katara is going to invite Aang and Toph will come too if her parents let her." Sokka seemed to catch up with Zuko's sudden mood change, "But don't feel pressured, okay? I just thought I should invite you, you don't have to — "

"Yes."

Sokka's surprised expression made him look like an excited child, "Really?"

Zuko softly but surely nodded. 

In reality, he had no idea what he was doing but it felt like the right thing to do. Zuko didn't quite remember how it was to celebrate Thanksgiving with more than two people, he wasn't a festive person. He wasn't sure how he was to tell Uncle Iroh this, hopefully it came out better than how it played in his head and Zuko certainly had no idea how to handle his feelings for Sokka now, much less how to spend holidays with him.

But despite all of that, he said yes. Why? He asked himself and tried to think of an answer but completely failed, and then he realized that was the answer. Sokka's proposal shouldn't be thought through, it was supposed to be felt and that was exactly what came out of Zuko's mouth.

⏳

Of course, not everything could be unicorns and rainbows, Zuko learned the next Wednesday. It had been a relatively normal day, Aang finally got into the cheerleading team, told them Toph would arrive on Friday and stay at his house before going to the beach and Suki agreed to teach Katara some self-defense moves.

The only thing out of the norm was that Sokka seemed just a little bit down. Not extremely, in fact, he hid it very well because not even Suki noticed. However, Zuko did but Sokka arrived late at lunch and left early so Zuko didn't have time to ask him about it.

Zuko was feeling exceptionally brave that day, already coming to terms with the fact that he actually liked Sokka and just last night thought about telling him. He had planned to invite Sokka a coffee after baseball practice, just because he wanted to and now he had a reason. To cheer up Sokka.

He waited in the library, reading a book Suki lent him. He reached the half of it, with his eyes just a little bit dry, when his phone vibrated on the table with the alarm he had set to let him know when practice finished. 

He walked to the field, the lack of people on the halls of the school making him feel odd. 

Zuko sensed something was wrong when he reached the field and instead of cheerful chat or foolish laughs, he heard some angry shouts. He rushed to where the noises were coming from, which was the way between the field and the locker room and then halted his steps, the air was completely knocked out of his lungs.

Sokka was curled up against a wall, with his arms around his stomach and crunching up his face. There were three other people around him, all looking at Sokka with smug expressions. Zuko didn't have the time to react or say anything at all because Sokka suddenly kicked the knee of the guy in front of him and then punched him in the face. 

For a split second, Sokka had the upper hand but in the end, he was outnumbered. There were three against one so the other two guys quickly grabbed Sokka's arm and one of them kicked the back of his leg, making him kneel him on the ground.

Zuko saw red, everything Uncle Iroh had taught him about being a gentleman flew out the window. He stepped in, taking advantage of the main guy's confusion at his presence and punched him right in the nose. Rage flooded his veins as he kicked the guy. 

Just when Zuko was about to hit him again, the guy caught his wrist and twisted it. He smirked as he made Zuko let out a groan and kneeled on the ground, then he looked at Sokka.

"So, is this your boyfriend?"

A blue flame was ignited in Sokka's eyes and suddenly everything was a blur of fists and grunts. Zuko took a hit on his head and a knee near his stomach but he also kicked two of the guys and tried his best to stand his ground, despite the burning ache on his side and the sudden dancing purple dots on his vision. 

He stumbled against a wall and made himself small for a second, expecting a hit that never came. Two sudden high pitch voices reached his ears, the grunts and fighting immediately stopped.

Zuko opened his eyes as he tried to focus on the scene in front of him and he honestly couldn't believe it. Ty Lee, Aang and a many other cheerleaders were surrounding them and the three guys were crouching and moaning in pain on the ground. Zuko sighed and let his head rest against the wall.

Ty Lee approached him as Aang helped Sokka sit against the opposite wall. Ty Lee's usually bright grey eyes were very worried when she knelt down next to Zuko.

"Are you okay?"

He managed to nod only once because his brain was about to explode inside his head. 

"And here I thought you needed Azula's help to get in trouble," Ty Lee said in an airy joking tone.

"How did you — "

"We were going to the locker room and heard you," she interrupted him. "It's a pity Mai isn't here, she would've had fun kicking down these guys."

Zuko closed his eyes for a second and then looked at Sokka, who had his hand on his forehead and was talking deep breaths per Aang's request because there was still a storm in his blue eyes. 

"As much as I think you'd like to right now," Ty Lee continued, "you can't stay here."

She stood up, threw her long braid over her shoulder and offered Zuko a hand. He took it and grimaced when he felt a pang on his side. 

Ty Lee looked at him with a little bit of pity, "Yeah, that's gonna need some ice."

_ And a good explanation to Uncle Iroh. _

Sokka also got up with an arm around Aang's shoulder and the scratch near Sokka's eyebrow made Zuko's blood boil. The three bullies were still on the ground, now vastly outnumbered by the cheerleading team. Aang and Sokka started walking and Zuko, slightly limping, followed them along with Ty Lee. 

The cheerleaders actually left them under the tree they usually had lunch under, Ty Lee said goodbye and Aang promised to come back in five minutes as he flew to change.

Zuko leaned his head against the tree and closed his eyes. Maybe today wasn't the day to invite Sokka a coffee. They stayed in silence, clearly not in the mood to say anything, simply trying to breath as slowly as possible so the punches didn't hurt that much. 

"Why did you do it, Zuko?" Sokka suddenly whispered.

Zuko opened his eyes and turned to Sokka, who no longer looked angry and was staring at his hands on his lap. 

The question weighed in Zuko's chest, why did he do it?

It's funny he had an actual answer this time and it was on the tip of his tongue but it didn't feel like the right moment. Zuko opened his mouth to at least say an excuse when Sokka's phone ringtone stopped him.

Sokka searched in his pants for his phone and when he looked at the screen, he deeply sighed and declined the call. However, Zuko's sight was faster so he managed to read Katara's name on the screen.

Sokka put his phone back in his pocket and leaned against the tree, yet his shoulders were still visibly tense under his clothes. Not a full minute passed when Zuko's phone vibrated in his jacket. It was an unknown number.

He showed it to Sokka, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Sokka glared at the phone for a moment, too many emotions in his eyes for Zuko to name them and then Sokka roughly took the phone from his hand and picked up.

His eyes were fixed on a lost point in front of him, suddenly he wasn't beside Zuko anymore, he was somewhere else. His brows were furrowed and his jaw was tight but after a minute, Sokka sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hung up and gave the phone back to Zuko.

"I gotta go home," Sokka said in a tired voice but his eyes still held some of the angry spark from earlier.

Zuko was about to ask what Katara said when Aang came running to them. He sighed, he'd had to ask another time. They definitely weren't walking to either of their houses together so despite the unsettling feeling inside Zuko and the fact Sokka refused to make eye contact with him, Zuko said goodbye and prayed Aang could smooth Sokka's anger. Or Katara's.

⏳

Zuko had told Uncle Iroh in the morning he would probably invite Sokka a coffee but given that it wasn't possible, Zuko went straight to the apartment, hoping to get an ice pack on his side as soon as possible.

He had just sat down on the couch when he thought about calling Sokka, who probably already arrived at his house. Zuko didn't want to be nosy, he just wanted to know if Sokka arrived safely at his house and if whatever scolding he got had been too tough. And if it had, Zuko was going to try and cheer him up a bit.

As he switched the ice pack from his side to his head, he searched for his phone and stared at Sokka's contact for a moment. Zuko pushed his hesitation aside, the worst that could happen was Sokka not picking up, right?

He waited for exactly four beeps and before he could even say hello, a shout pierced his ear. He grimaced and pulled the phone away from his face.

"...to leave him?"

No, wait. Zuko didn't want to be nosy. He should hang up, this clearly wasn't the right moment in the blue house.

And yet...

Sokka's voice sounded so angry and... hopeless. Zuko didn't control his own hand when he put his phone on his ear again.

"To tell him no when I already invited him to the beach? To deny everything I feel for him and walk away?"

Something sank inside of Zuko, everything inside of him screamed at him to hang up but he just couldn't. Thousand thoughts and possibilities ran through his mind, what was Sokka saying? Did he actually...?

Katara's voice sounded through the phone, "Sokka — "

"Trust me, Katara, I wished I could do that and believe me when I say I already tried."

Zuko hung up.

A big knot settled on his throat and he held his phone so tightly he thought he might break it, he slowly shook his head. 

No, that couldn't be. Sokka couldn't possibly say and mean it... right?

Zuko snorted, of course Sokka could. 

And it clicked perfectly in Zuko's head, Sokka was way too kind to say anything like that to his face, especially after Uncle Iroh begged him to tutor Zuko. Sokka always stared at him and sometimes got fidgety around Zuko, because he probably thought Zuko was some kind of antisocial awkward mess. How could someone like Sokka like someone like Zuko? He was too pale and thin, he was moody and dumb.

And it hurt, he wasn't going to lie, it hurt really bad. His heart was being squeezed in his chest so hard, as if someone was trying to make it burst and then slowly take it out piece by piece. His heartbeat was hammering in his head, the ice pack barely serving its purpose. Zuko was done for today, he officially gave up on reality.

He fought off a slight dizziness as he got up and walked to his room, to then collapse in bed. Zuko hoped he slept until after Uncle Iroh arrived so he wouldn't have to give any excuse and make him worry.

Oh, he especially couldn't worry because they were going to spend Thanksgiving away from each other, Uncle Iroh was going to meet with some of his old friends and Zuko...

His brain had already made the decision maybe even before Zuko had the time to think about the question. He fought the pout that threatened to twist his lips as well as the insane pressure in his chest and grabbed his phone.

He wasn't able to call, the fear of continuing to listen to what Sokka had to say about him and the fear his voice would break and started crying made him write a text. Zuko wrote it painfully slowly, as if hands refused to obey his commands but eventually he typed in a message that told Sokka he no longer could go to the beach.

That Zuko was really thankful for the invitation but something had come up, so he couldn't go. A part of him wondered if a call would've been easier but the rest told him that no, this was for the better. Zuko knew from personal experience that spending time with someone you didn't want to made your life hell and the last thing he wanted was to make Sokka sad.

Sokka didn't like him, so Zuko fell asleep strongly believing he had made Sokka a huge favor and with an equally huge hole in his chest.

🌊

Sokka definitively didn't want to go home. He wanted to lay down on his bed and sleep until the bruises had come and gone, the last thing he wanted right now was to go through that door.

He was still angry, although for a variety of reasons. He was of course angry at the bullies but he had started the fight so he would have to deal with the consequences. He was also angry at Aang for telling Katara what happened, Sokka understood he was worried but it wasn't necessary to tell her. He could've lied and say it had been a practice gone wrong but it was useless now.

Sokka was the angriest at her. Now don't get him wrong, he loved his sister to death but now, he was so done with her. 

He managed to calm down a little bit on the way home, not saying a word to Aang but when the blue house appeared in front of him, Sokka felt the ashes of his rage burn again so he asked Aang to just go home. Aang's eyes dripped worry but thankfully he understood, he told Sokka to take care and walked to his house.

Sokka's body ached really bad so searching in his bag for the keys wasn't an option, and besides, there was no point in trying to sneak into his room, Katara was waiting for him. He rang the bell.

Barely a second went by when Katara opened the door and glared at him with the most serious expression Sokka had probably seen on her. He didn't let a single emotion show on his face and didn't say anything either. 

Katara walked in and Sokka followed her. There truly wasn't any way of escaping this, he thought as he stepped into the living room. Katara seemed to be past the point of anger, it was scary when she yelled at you with a storm in her eyes but after that, there was only a cold, icy rage inside of her. As if she couldn't believe what happened, to the point she crossed the line to disappointment.

She came from the kitchen with two ice packs and dropped them in Sokka's hands, to then stare at him. The silence was suffocating Sokka, why Katara couldn't just get it over with? To quickly rip off the band-aid?

"Are you going to explain what happened or am I supposed to guess?" She finally asked in a very serious tone.

Sokka sighed and looked anywhere but his sister, "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's a shame but I'd still like to know what were you doing getting in fights at school."

"You wouldn't get it." Sokka shook his head.

"Try me."

Katara seemed to get angrier by the second and Sokka rolled his eyes.

"I started it," he muttered.

"What?"

"You heard me, I started it." He looked at Katara straight in the eye, his voice growing in confidence. "Practice was over and we were walking to the locker room when I heard these guys at the back, trash talking Zuko and me."

Katara sighed and opened her mouth but Sokka didn't even let her start.

"No, I don't care what you say, Katara! I'll take any slander against me, I don't care but the things they said about Zuko—"

"Did you have to have to start a fight?"

Sokka looked at her in disbelief, "I don't care about whatever pacifist bullshit Aang got you in but I was not going to stand those guys shitting on Zuko!"

Katara sighed in frustration, "Sokka, Zuko is not — "

"He's not what, Katara? He's not what?" Sokka yelled. "Are you going to slander him too? Again?"

"I worry about you, Sokka!" Katara shouted while raising her hands in the air. "Could you please shut up and try to understand that?"

Sokka simply couldn't believe his ears, "Katara, get over yourself! Just say you don't like Zuko!"

His sister's expression was furious, "It's not like that!"

"If it's not like that, why are you yelling at me for defending him?" Rage was burning inside Sokka's veins and there was nothing that could put it down, "I stole a coca cola from a supermarket, why are you acting like I snorted coke in a dark alley?" 

"Because that was wrong, Sokka!" Katara's shouts turned high pitched and her face was turning red.

"Oh, please, who are  _ you _ to accuse me of doing the wrong thing? Have you forgotten what you and Jet used to do together?"

"Sokka!"

A tense silence fell between them, regret filled Sokka's heart as soon as he saw Katara's hurt eyes. He had touched a vein, he picked at a wound that had just recently healed but a part of him still thought he was right. Sokka logically knew he shouldn't judge people over their past, especially when he had seen how said people changed for the better, but again who was Katara to tell him what was right and wrong?

After their mom died, Katara shut herself for months, as if her mom had taken her life with her. When they moved to the city, she was forced to go outside and get some sunlight. She didn't like it, in fact she hated it until one day at outside school she met an older boy named Jet.

His hair was messy dark hair, a mischievous and dark aura and a permanent smirk on his lips. It was safe to say Sokka didn't like him but Katara was fixated on him. Their dad wasn't around and she didn't listen to Sokka, so when things went downhill, Katara went along with Jet.

He was the little devil on people's shoulder, except this time he was holding Katara's hand. They stole things together, did graffiti together, broke laws together and Katara didn't see anything wrong with it. It made her feel something, it made her feel alive again.

She eventually had to stop when her life was put on the line. Jet had gotten this new motorcycle, that he clearly didn't know how to ride but they just climbed on it and hoped for the best. 

They had an accident.

Sokka had had to answer the call from his dad saying he was going to pick him up and then go to the hospital because something had happened to Katara. 

She broke up with Jet as soon as he was awake and never saw him again. She had seemed to want to close off again but realized that was the very thing that got her there in the first place, so she tried her best and it paid off.

Katara hadn't had a boyfriend ever since and even if she had almost completely recovered from the situation, it still left her with an immense guilt over forgetting her family and a creeping fear of something similar happening to Sokka. 

Sokka understood, he really did. Zuko reminded Katara of Jet, they had the same dark appearance and the not so straight moral compass, but Zuko was light years away from being like Jet. 

Still, Sokka stared down at his feet and spoke in a remorseful voice. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Katara's anger seemed to have extinguished, she crossed her arms over her chest, momentarily trying to shrink herself as she looked down. "No, you shouldn't."

A pause followed that and a heavy weight sat on Sokka's shoulders, his brain was pounding against his skull and light became suddenly too bright. Katara slowly inhaled and uncrossed her arms.

"Sokka — "

"Stop, Katara, just stop."

Sokka was too tired now.

"Please, just listen to me!" Katara's eyes were pleading, begging Sokka to give her a chance but she was the one that had to give Sokka a chance. She sighed, as if she was just as tired as her brother. "I'm worried, okay? I just don't think Zuko's right for you."

Sokka sat down on the couch and briefly closed his eyes, then he glared at Katara.

"So what? And what if he  _ is  _ right for me?" He yelled, he'd had enough. "Do you want me to leave him? To tell him no when I already invited him to the beach? To deny everything I feel for him and walk away?"

"Sokka—"

His tone softened, "Trust me, Katara, I wished I could do that and believe me when I say I already tried."

He wasn't going to lie, he had been almost as scared as Katara. Sokka had dated girls and he knew he liked boys, he just never dated one before.

The issue was that Sokka hadn't been very lucky with love. His first girlfriend, Yue, had died, which left him heartbroken for months, some of their memories still showed up in his dreams but overall he remembered her fondly. Then, he dated Suki for a little while but they quickly decided they weren't meant to be so they broke up and stayed as friends, which was honestly one of the best decisions in Sokka's life but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Sokka tried to love somebody, had a couple of flings here and there but they never lasted. He was young but he was starting to lose hope and suddenly a socially awkward yet fierce and kind boy showed up a Monday afternoon.

At first, Sokka thought Zuko really didn't like him, that he only kept with Sokka around because he tutored him so he tried to fight his feelings. He was done with love, he wasn't going to start liking someone that didn't like him back.

His tries didn't last more than a couple of days. Zuko amazed him by the second and before Sokka could even stop and think about what he was doing it was already too late. He was head over heels for Zuko, whenever Sokka thought about him his heartbeat skyrocketed and when he was with him, he struggled to breath.

"But I failed, Katara. I failed as I've never failed before and I can't be more glad about it," Sokka continued, staring straight at his sister's surrendered eyes. "Zuko's not the way you think, you don't know him because you haven't even bothered in trying. He's kind, shy, works his ass off and cares more about others than himself.

I feel happy when I'm with him, Katara, happier than I've felt in years. When he's around, I feel alive, I feel like I can finally breathe and I'm really sorry but no one, not even you, is going to take that away from me."


	13. Chapter 13

Yes, Zuko knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do but he was running away from his problems, smartness could be thrown out the window.

He managed to avoid Sokka all Thursday, he avoided his calls and avoided lunch. It kept him on the edge but Zuko only needed to run one more day and he wouldn't see Sokka for at least a week. He could think about what to do then.

Zuko was hiding near the bleachers, biting his sandwich when suddenly a figure dressed in pink ran past him on their way to the locker room, with a hand drying tears from her face. 

He hesitated as he put down his sandwich. Maybe it was none of his business but Ty Lee was a friend, he knew her just as long as he knew Mai. Zuko just gravitated more towards Mai but that didn't mean he didn't like Ty Lee, she had never been mean to him, in fact she had always been kind so it didn't sit right with Zuko to let her cry alone.

He got up and went to the locker room but didn't make it past the door, it was the girls locker room. Still, he knocked.

"Ty Lee?"

It was lunchtime so there shouldn't be anyone inside, so thankfully there was no chance of Zuko embarrassing himself by calling someone else 'Ty Lee'.

"Ty Lee, are you okay?" He tried again.

A sniffle came from inside the room and after a few seconds, Ty Lee opened the door. Her eyes were red and her face puffy but she was still trying to give Zuko a smile.

She breathed in, "Yes, I'm fine. Why are you asking?"

Her voice was cheerful but midway through her words her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes. She didn't let them fall. Zuko didn't know what to say but then he noticed the paint stains on her hands and one of them near her hairline. Suddenly, he connected the dots.

"Is this Azula's fault?"

Ty Lee's lip trembled and she roughly wiped a tear that managed to escape her left eye. Zuko hesitated for a second but then he wrapped his arms around Ty Lee's smaller frame, who let out a choked sob. 

This was the one thing Zuko was allowed to laugh without guilt about Azula. She may excel in everything. Math, sports, people, you name it but there were two things Azula couldn't do to save a life.

Cooking and anything related to art.

When she was home alone, which was often, she mostly did really simple dishes. Like salad and anything you could cook in a pan and she was terrible at seasoning so after years of trying she just didn't. 

Art was a more serious matter. Azula had a very neat handwriting but beyond that she couldn't pick up a brush, her drawing skill had stayed in third grade. That's where Ty Lee comes in.

Ty Lee was everything artistic, she could draw entire landscapes in napkins and make sand sculptures that belonged in a museum instead of a beach. She could work with oleo, clay, yarn, anything you could think of so she helped, or rather did, Azula's projects for art class. Azula usually thanked her and it wasn't a big deal for Ty Lee so Zuko wondered what could have possibly happened today.

The hug was short but nevertheless, Zuko kept a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder when he spoke.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She sniffed and then shrugged, "I don't know if you know but Azula and I haven't talked much lately."

Zuko knew, he clearly remembered the night he broke into Ozai's house but then he remembered Ty Lee left before he did. Zuko tried to play it off cool and simply shook his head.

"She had a project due today," Ty Lee continued. "We haven't talked since Wednesday and she hadn't asked me about the project but you know Azula, she paints like a child and even if she tried, she would get a really bad grade. 

I wanted to ask but I didn't dare, I fell asleep last night thinking about it. In the end I spent the breaks today whipping something up and then I gave it to her."

Ty Lee's voice was barely above a whisper now, then she looked down.

"We had a fight but that's it, Zuko."

Zuko's eyebrows furrowed, a spark of anger birthed in his chest. If Azula had such good people skills, why did she have such poor emotion management? Ty Lee seemed to notice his tension and looked up.

"It's alright, Zuko — "

"No, it's not."

Azula had messed up quite a few lives, and she may not agree with it but Zuko kind of still cared about her; after all, it wasn't her fault that Ozai had set impossible standards and put such pressure in her. Zuko was not going to let her ruin one of the two friendships she had left and besides, Zuko also cared about Ty Lee. No one this bright deserved to be treated like that.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Zuko asked, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm down.

Ty Lee stared at nothing for a few seconds and then shrugged, "I don't know."

"Ty Lee — "

"I said I don't know, Zuko, and I'm gonna keep it like that for a couple of days." Her voice was sharp but then it softened. "But I wouldn't lie to you and say I haven't thought about stopping trying."

Zuko nodded, out of everyone, he probably was the one who knew best how complicated relationships with Azula could be. Mai and Ty Lee were next in line. Whatever Ty Lee did now was up to her.

"Alright," he replied, "but if she ever does something wrong or hurts you, tell me, okay? My relationship with her it's already kind of ruined so I don't really have an issue telling her the truth."

Ty Lee let out a small laugh, the corner of her lips lifted up. “Thanks, Zuko."

"Whenever you want."

Zuko then left, because Ty Lee was going to stay a few more minutes in the locker room, to wash off the paint stains and hopefully put on some makeup. 

He may not be able to lecture Ty Lee, especially because she was the victim here but he could definitely lecture Azula, so with cautious and quick steps he went to find his sister.

⏳

Surprisingly, Azula was in the library catching up with some chemistry homework, right at the table she gave Zuko a calculus book all those weeks ago. The difference this time is that Zuko didn't slam a book against the table and glared at her instead of giving her a smirk.

"Why are you so mean with Ty Lee?" He spat.

Azula froze and gripped her pen so tightly Zuko thought she might break it, her stare was blank. It all lasted less than a second though, because Azula relaxed and gave him a perfect smile.

"And why would that be any of your business?"

"You're hurting her, Azula."

Azula glared back at Zuko, she was no longer smiling and oh, she knew. 

She knew Zuko had heard her and Ty Lee fight, Azula knew Zuko must know something she didn't and Zuko saw right through her, it was driving her crazy. Not being in control about something in her life could lead to a breakdown and ironically Azula was the only one not aware of that. Zuko wanted to help his sister, if she had another breakdown Zuko and Mai wouldn't be able to hold her together for long, which left Ozai as the only option.

Zuko would do anything to stop that from happening and for that, he needed to make Azula understand she needed to make a change. She has never been an affectionate person, tough words were the things she was taught and the thing that worked the best on her so that's what Zuko used. He spat facts.

"Snap out of your self-centered self and realize that if you don't quit it right now, Ty Lee will leave. Just the way everyone did before she and Mai came around."

Azula visibly stopped breathing but Zuko continued.

"You're hurting people, Azula. That needs to stop, because one) neither Ty Lee or Mai deserve to be treated that way and two) if you want to be so successful at life, know that alone you won't make it very far."

A slight frown showed up in his sister's face. "Hide."

"What?" Zuko was taken aback, his speech completely lost its track in his head.

Azula's amber eyes were glued to the door of the library. "Hide."

Zuko looked back and the color drained from his already pale face. As fast as he could, he stumbled over and hid behind Azula's chair, trying to make himself as small as possible. Azula grabbed her coat and her backpack and hung them in the chair, barely hiding Zuko. Thank God he chose to wear black today.

His heart was beating a thousand miles per hour and he thought it was about to explode when he heard Sokka's voice, just a few feet away from him.

"Hey! Azula, right?"

Azula didn't answer.

"I'm Sokka, by the way, I'm friends with Zuko."

Azula huffed a laugh and replied in a snarky tone, "Zuzu has friends?"

_ Ouch. _

Zuko was growing hot under the coat and his calf was starting to cramp, the bruises on his side were aching badly but if he moved a single inch Sokka might see him.

"Yeah, he does" Sokka continued, "and about that, I was wondering if you had seen him."

Something got squeezed inside Zuko's chest, an immense wave of guilt crashed against him. 

"I barely saw him last week," Azula answered, "I have no idea where he is."

"Oh," the disappointment in Sokka's voice made Zuko want to drown. "Well, if you see him, could you tell him I'm looking for him?"

"Do I look like the mailman to you?"

Zuko was almost getting a cramp on his calf, he was also starting to sweat. He never thought he'd wish this but couldn’t Sokka just leave sooner?

Azula sighed, "I'll tell him, now go. I'm busy."

Sokka's steps were quiet so it was very hard to tell when he finally walked away but after a moment, Azula took her coat off Zuko, who let himself fall to the floor as he rubbed his leg. Azula threw him a deadpan look over the backrest of the chair.

"And you tell  _ me  _ to get my shit together." Zuko glared at her. "You better solve this out because I have a feeling this won't be the last time he asks."

Zuko felt the childish urge to pull her hair but he resisted and got up. "Don't get into my love life."

"You have a love life?" Azula huffed, her trademark smirk back on her face. "Didn't the guy just say you were friends?"

"Stop changing the subject!"

Zuko momentarily shrunk at the glare of the librarian, but then he put his palms on the table and continued in a sharp voice.

"We both know that what I said before is true." Azula was glaring back at him, "And you'll have to do something about it sooner or later. Don't wait until the last minute to fix your life the same way you do with your art projects."

Azula leaned in closer to Zuko's face and pronounced her next words one by one. "Go away."

Done, he was done. Zuko held her gaze for one last second and then turned around while clenching his fists. He had done what he could, if Azula wanted to ruin the last affectionate relationships she had left, it was up to her.

When he was walking out the door, he turned around to give one last glance at his sister. Zuko let go of some of the tension in his shoulder. 

Azula's mask had briefly fallen, he saw her sigh and then look for her phone in her backpack. She stared at it for about a minute but then she shook her head and stared out the window, to where the cheerleading team usually practiced.

Zuko let himself hope, maybe his sister wasn't that lost after all.

⏳

His next challenge was his shift at the Jasmine Dragon, an open store where people come and go and he couldn't hide. Add the fact that he had to pretend to be fine and not to sweat out of nerves so Uncle Iroh didn't suspect anything.

For some miraculous reason, Sokka didn't show up yesterday but Zuko's lucky strikes were usually short so he could only pray Sokka didn't come around today. There were only three hours left before the tea shop closed, three hours before he could hide in the apartment and drown in self-pity for a week straight.

Every time a new client came in, Zuko's heart skipped a beat but after an hour of the horrible cycle, his heart completely stopped when a girl dressed dark green walked in with a dog beside her.

"Toph?"

She looked in the general direction of the counter. "Zuko! Wow, so you do work in a tea shop, thought it was a joke."

Zuko walked to the door and stood in front of Toph.

"What are you doing here?" Fear slipped in his voice, "How did you get here?"

"Relax, Yu drove me here," she extended her arm to Zuko's body and palmed him until he found his shoulder, then she gave him quick pats. "And the reason I'm here is to see if I like tea. Well, to taste if I like tea."

Zuko slowly nodded and then he guided Toph and Boulder to one of the couches at the back of the tea shop. Zuko liked Toph, he just didn't know her all that well yet so he dried his hands on his apron and breathed in. "So, what can I get you?"

"Whatever you think is best because it's not like I can read the menu." Toph looked very comfortable half sprawled on the couch.

"My uncle is the expert," Zuko thought a little bit better, "and I can read you the menu."

"Nah, I trust your judgement, or your uncle's."

A spark of excitement birthed in Zuko's chest, he was glad to see Toph. "Alright then, I'll be right back."

He walked to the kitchen and told Uncle Iroh someone asked for the best they had, but he didn't give any specifics. Zuko had a feeling Toph and Uncle Iroh would get along really well but he couldn't control what Toph said, it wasn't worth the risk. 

Uncle Iroh gave him a cup of jasmine tea, easily the most common drink they served at the shop but not for that, less great. 

Zuko left the cup on the coffee table in front of Toph and stood awkwardly, not knowing if he should sit down or leave. Toph took the cup of tea very slowly and sipped, then she hummed in surprise.

"I don't usually like tea but this is much better than what I thought," she took another sip and then left the cup on the table, then she sat back. "Do you have five minutes to keep me some company? I mean, Boulder's fine but it's not the same.

Zuko hesitated, he shouldn't leave the counter empty, much less take a break in one of the couches or leave a client unattended but on the flip side, there weren't that many people and Uncle Iroh wouldn't mind if he took five minutes. He copied Toph and sat down on the couch adjacent to the one she was in.

"I guess I can take five minutes," he sighed.

"Good, now I can talk about the real reason I'm here," Toph's happy voice almost made a chill run down Zuko's spine. He momentarily closed his eyes and let his head fall between his shoulders, he should've known this was coming. "I'm sure you know we're all invited to Katara and Sokka's house at the beach for Thanksgiving."

Zuko tensed, his throat was suddenly very dry.

"But the main reason I'm here is to ask you why you're not coming," Toph seemed to be genuinely confused and concerned about that, with the way her eyebrows furrowed and her questioning tone. "Or even better, why you said yes and then took it back. And I know, I know, it's none of my business, especially if it has something to do with Sokka but that's exactly the problem, Zuko. I care about Sokka and I care about you and I think it just makes absolutely no sense for you to skip this trip."

Zuko stared blankly at Toph, a mix of emotions swirling in him. Guilt, shock, regret, confusion. Toph took notice after almost a minute of Zuko not saying anything and raised her hands.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I crossed the line, I get it," she said. "I'm just curious about it, you know? Especially because yesterday when I got to Aang's house, Sokka sounded almost sad about the whole trip. I got him to tell me something about it and when he said your name, he sounded like a kicked puppy.

I got worried, Sokka may be a little bit dumb when he's with Aang and generally a very rushed person so Sokka just thinking and trying to hide his feelings, instead of doing things and being loud made me think I had to ask  _ you  _ about what's going on."

Oh, Zuko wanted to tell her. He wanted nothing more than to dump his problems on someone else, the words were on the tip of his tongue... but he couldn't. He couldn't say them because if he did, everything would suddenly turn more real, way more real than Zuko was able to take. 

The reality that Sokka didn't like would crush him and honestly, Zuko didn't want people around to witness that.

"It's complicated," he muttered.

Toph took a sip of her cup, then hummed and nodded, "Yeah, I thought so."

They stayed in silence for a few more minutes, Zuko noticing he needed to pick up an empty plate and refill a cup. He was about to get up when Toph spoke again.

"I hope you two figure it out soon, though," she said and if Zuko had been holding something, he was sure he would've dropped it. Toph grinned at her cup of tea, "You'd look really cute together."

Zuko tripped with the coffee table.

⏳

Week days were finally over and to Zuko's displeasure, Saturday went by way too fast, with Uncle Iroh cleaning the house and packing his own stuff because he was taking advantage Zuko supposedly wasn't going to be there for Thanksgiving, so Uncle Iroh was going to go and visit some of his old friends, who also had nothing much to do for the holidays.

For once, Zuko seemed to succeed into tricking Uncle Iroh but only by avoiding him throughout Friday and Saturday and putting out the performance of his life on Sunday morning, going as far as putting some of his clothes on the washing machine to make Uncle Iroh believe he was still going to the beach.

To say Zuko felt guilty was an understatement, but in all honesty he was too tired to care and besides, after this week, there was no way to keep hiding so he was doomed anyways. But Uncle Iroh didn't need to know now so Zuko could run away from reality for a few more days.

He got out of bed on Sunday morning just to say goodbye to Uncle Iroh, wish him good luck and tell him to take care. Uncle Iroh had everything ready and about five minutes to spare before he had to leave. He sat down on the couch and looked at Zuko with hesitation, then he reached for a decorative book on the coffee table and took a piece of paper from between the pages.

He gave it to Zuko.

"Please, forgive you nosy uncle but I couldn't stop myself."

Zuko was confused at first but then he took a closer look at the paper, which was actually a photo. You could barely see anything, it was quite dark but you could make out the inside of a room and a single bed with two figures lying in it and facing each other. Zuko's breath got caught in his throat when he realized who those people were.

"I wasn't thinking about giving it to you if you didn't realize or if I was wrong," Uncle Iroh continued, "but now it seems like the perfect moment. I have it on the camera so you can give it to Sokka as a present when you're at the beach, like an early Christmas gift."

A huge pressure crushed Zuko's chest, a heavy weight fell on his shoulders. He tried to smile despite the sound of his own heart breaking while his uncle kept talking.

"You and Sokka are similar in so many ways it's scary, I'm sure I'll love it."

Uncle Iroh laughed and smiled fondly at Zuko, then he sighed and got up. Soon, Zuko was pretty much pushing his uncle out the door so he wouldn't be late, Zuko waved at him from the door frame.

He waited until he couldn't hear Uncle Iroh to close the door and then lean his forehead against it, the picture on top of the coffee table weighing heavily in his mind and somehow something even heavier sat in his heart.

🌊

Sokka was hurt, it was the absolute truth and it was crushing him, it left him chained to bed after he got home on Friday. It was Sunday noon and he hadn't left. 

He just didn't have the energy to move and Katara hadn't quite noticed either because she was still keeping some distance after their fight on Wednesday. She was also spending time with their dad, who had asked for the entire week free. Maybe Katara told him something because Hakoda didn't ask Sokka what was wrong, he just cooked his favorite meal and tried to make him excited about the trip.

The truth was that neither Katara or Hakoda knew Zuko was not coming and Sokka didn't want to tell them, although he knew he'd eventually have to because they were leaving tomorrow morning.

It hurt when Sokka read the text Zuko sent him, he called Zuko immediately, more confused than he has ever felt in his life. After the third unanswered call, it sank inside of Sokka. He tried to be positive, maybe Zuko was asleep, so Sokka tried the next day but he couldn't possibly find Zuko.

It was like he had vanished but Sokka knew he had come, he had asked one of Zuko's teachers. Still, he couldn't find him, Zuko didn't have lunch with them and with every passing hour, Sokka felt worse. 

Did he do or say something wrong? Did something happen to Zuko? Was his dad or Azula involved? Was Zuko okay?

By the end of Friday, it became clear to Sokka that Zuko didn't want to see him so going to the Jasmine Dragon or to his apartment made no sense. Someone else had just decided to leave Sokka so he accepted his fate, even if it felt like someone was drilling holes in his chest.

So there he was now, lying on his bed, contemplating if he should wear Zuko's hoodie to sleep and waiting for Suki, because when she called earlier, she caught Sokka's mood despite his best effort to hide it. 

He admitted, it had been one of his worst acts but what could he have said? The day was completely cloudy and he only got up to go to the bathroom and eat something, his mood wasn't the best and nothing was helping it.

Sokka was about to fall asleep when the doorbell rang, he closed his eyes and prayed Katara answered the door. He heard the two girls talk for a minute and then a few knocks in his door. They knew each other too well, so Suki didn't expect Sokka to answer before she stepped in.

Sokka turned around to look at Suki, who sat crossed legged on the bed, and Sokka didn't even bother in hiding his sadness, he just stared at her. She smiled with empathy in her eyes and gave Sokka a hot paper cup.

"I got you a coffee from the Balloon."

Sokka sat crossed legged just like Suki and took the coffee, fighting the knot in his throat. Suki lived a little bit further from school than Sokka and the Balloon was closer to Zuko's apartment, which was on the other side of the city, which meant Suki had gone all the way to the coffee shop just to get Sokka his favorite coffee. Talking about friends.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Your welcome," Suki sighed and stared at Sokka sipping the cup for a few seconds before speaking again. "Now, are you going to talk about what's making you sad or are you going to fail at hiding it like earlier?"

"It's kind of complicated."

Suki checked the hour on her phone, "I have at least twenty minutes before I have to leave, I'm sure you can summarize it."

Sokka smirked and raised an eyebrow at her, Suki lightly slapped his arm. "We can talk about me at the beach. Now come on, spit it out."

"Yeah, the beach," Sokka said in the most emotionless voice he could.

Suki's eyes widened, "Are you not coming?"

"Oh, no. Sadly, I am." His friend gave a confused look but expected him to continue. Sokka stared at the cup in his hands and sighed, "It's actually Zuko the one that's not coming."

"What?"

"Same."

"But you invited him, right?" Suki's voice was shocked and her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"I did and he accepted but then he took it back. He's also been avoiding me I think, he probably got tired of me and couldn't take one more trip with us," Sokka shrugged, then he sipped more of his coffee to push down the knot in his throat and hopefully make his body focus on the hot drink instead of how tight his chest was.

"But..." Suki paused, suddenly out of words, "I don't understand, you guys are head over heels over each other. Why would he do that so suddenly?"

"I don't know!" Sokka then registered the rest of Suki's words. "Wait! How do you know I like Zuko?"

_ What makes you think he likes me back? _

Suki snorted. "Sokka, please, I think you two are the last ones to find out you like each other."

Sokka left the coffee cup on the nightstand and buried his head in his hands. This was going from bad to worst. Suki put a hand on his shoulder, Sokka could barely speak.

"I was going to tell him, you know?" He started, hoping Suki could understand his muffled words. "I was going to tell him I like him before the dinner, I had everything planned."

He raised his head and looked anywhere but Suki. Sokka let out a dry laugh at the thought of his plan, it was silly now he thought about it but his entire being honestly believed it would've worked.

"I was going to ask if he could bake something because, trust me when I say this, Suki, everything he does in the kitchen is pretty much made in heaven. I was going to ask if I could help, even though I barely know how to boil water, just to set a vibe, you know?"

The knot in his throat was choking him, and you could tell by the way his voice trembled. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at his hands.

"When whatever he baked was in the oven, I was going to tell him. In the worst case-scenario, he rejected me and we had dessert and in the best case-scenario, he would let me take him on a date.

I was even going to ask what he would cook so I could buy some of the ingredients and ask Aang and Katara to entertain dad so we would be alone."

Sokka sniffled and roughly wiped the single tear that managed to fall out of his eye. Suki stared at him for a second before she reached over and wrapped her arms around Sokka's shoulders. He hugged her waist back but stubbornly refused to start crying.

He hated it crying, he always has and Suki knew it. They both also knew Sokka didn't like hugs when he was about to cry but when Suki saw the tear escape Sokka's eye, she realized Sokka was truly hurting and decided a hug was the best choice right now.

The pressure inside Sokka's chest barely let him breath, the urge of wearing Zuko's hoodie suddenly way stronger than before. They tightly hugged for minutes, Suki caressing Sokka's head until Sokka calmed down his breathing. 

He was too tired, even if he just had a coffee, Sokka just wanted to lie down and wake up only if Zuko knocked on his door. He sniffled and watched Suki open her mouth before her phone's ringtone interrupted them.

She searched for her phone in her clothes and just then Sokka realized she had made quite an effort in her appearance. She was wearing black jeans that looked almost new and Sokka suspected they kind of were because Suki rarely wore anything except for her worn out green jeans. 

She was also wearing a tight black sweater and a wine red coat that Sokka only had seen in one of their dates back in the day and in a formal dinner after winning a karate competition. Her makeup was on point, especially her eyeliner and suddenly everything clicked when Sokka saw Toph's name on Suki's phone before she declined the call.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Sokka asked, looking smug.

Suki smiled back, "If a friend needs me, that's where I'm supposed to be, which in this case is here."

"Your friend has been through more than one heartbreak, I think he'll live."

"Sokka — "

Toph called again and Suki hung up again.

"Ugh, stop!" Sokka took the phone from her hand. "If you don't go right now,  _ I  _ will answer and tell her about our Amusement Park date."

Suki's expression turned stone cold, "You wouldn't dare."

"We both know I would."

Sokka held Suki's defiant stare until she threw her hands in the air in frustration and grabbed her phone from Sokka's hand. "Fine!"

Suki set her phone in silent mode and put it in one of the pockets of her coat, then she took one of Sokka's hands and looked at him with serious eyes.

"But you know I'm here for you, right? Just one phone call away."

Sokka gave her a sad smile and nodded, "I wouldn't be able to forget it."

"And if you want me to, I can always kick Zuko's emo ass."

"I would never help with math again if you kicked Zuko's ass."

Suki laughed as she got up and straightened her coat but she didn't walk to the door, instead she stood in the middle of the room and fidgeted a bit with her fingers.

Sokka grinned, "Go get her, tiger."

Suki slapped his arm again and walked to the door. She stopped when she had a foot out and then turned to look at Sokka.

"But I'm serious, Sokka," her voice and face were stern. "If Zuko doesn't do anything, I will. You don't deserve another heartbreak, or at least not one for the wrong reasons. You should tell him you like him anyway, screw whatever he thinks because if he doesn't like you, it's his loss, okay?"

Sokka slowly blinked and then sighed, "I'll think about, Suki. I'll think about it."

Suki opened her mouth to probably have the last word but suddenly the doorbell rang, her eyes widened and she cursed under her breath.

"Oh, God. How do I look?" She rushed, barely breathing.

"You look great, now go!"

"Okay!"

And then she flew out the room, leaving Sokka with a proud smile on his face. He heard voices at the entrance but he wasn't in the mood to meet up with anyone, so he simply closed the door of his room and went back to bed, but not before grabbing Zuko's hoodie from on top of his bag, which had the clothes he was taking to the beach.

Sokka didn't put on the hoodie, he just lied down on his bed and held it. He deeply breathed in and closed his eyes.

The urge to bawl his eyes out was mentally still there. Even if he hated, he usually felt better after a good cry but he couldn't force out his tears. He no longer felt like he was choking and a weight wasn't crushing him anymore.

Instead, he felt hollow. Like when Yue died and his father had delivered him the news. On both occasions, then and now, Sokka had been so hurt that he couldn't breathe or move but then, he just felt empty. As if he had spent all of his emotions at once and they needed to recharge.

His thoughts were slow, his mind was battling his heart over how he should feel. On one hand, he wanted to drown and simply give up, if Zuko wanted to avoid him and didn't like him, or worse, hated him, there was nothing Sokka could do so it was useless to even try.

But on the other hand, Suki's words echoed on his mind. Sokka was already hurting so he had nothing to lose if he confessed and Zuko hated him.

Except Sokka did have something to lose.

He liked Zuko beyond he had ever liked anyone. If Sokka was already hurting like this, with the uncertainty if Zuko liked him or not, what would be of him if it turned out Zuko hated him? He'd be devastated. 

If losing people and the following grief let him know something, it was that despite feeling minutes stretched on forever, when he got back to reality weeks would have run by, way too fast for Sokka to notice. It would've been wasted time, which was pretty much Sokka's biggest fear.

Overall, Sokka realized there were only two things clear. He hated the way Suki's words made hope slip into his mind as he fell asleep and he hated and loved in equal parts the fact Zuko's hoodie still faintly smelled like him.

⏳

The next day, the sky seemed to understand how down Sokka felt. 

The night turned into day before his eyes, because even if he managed to fall asleep last night due to emotional exhaustion, there was still caffeine in his system. When he woke up, there were also too many thoughts running in his head, so around five, after tossing and turning for about an hour, he gave up and decided to make himself another coffee and sit in the backyard, now wearing Zuko's hoodie.

The moon had always comforted Sokka, Yue had first introduced him to the wonder that was space, so not seeing the moon in the sky made him incredibly anxious. There were barely any stars in the sky and the clouds apparently haven't moved since yesterday, they completely hid the moon. 

He pushed aside the desire to go back to Zuko's building rooftop.

Ironically, Sokka stayed in the backyard wasting time and he allowed himself to do it, just because he felt like nights didn't count as much as the day. He pondered Suki's words and battled his own thoughts, growing more confused by the minute.

He finished his coffee and lied on the grass, fully ignoring the scolding Katara would probably give him. The grass was wet and cold, and it went through Zuko's hoodie and his shirt. This was nothing like the grass, or rather dirt, in the forest around Toph's cabin. 

This was nothing like leaning on Zuko's shoulder and closing his eyes, it was nothing like stopping and just breathing. Sokka deeply sighed, he would give anything to be near Zuko right now.

The sky was changing from dark blue to a clear gray when a specific thought began to run around his head, over and over again. The recklessness he found in himself when he was around Zuko returned to him.

What if Sokka just did it?

What if Sokka just risked breaking his own heart and told Zuko he liked him?

Sokka had to stop thinking around seven, when the clouds turned darker and a light drizzle began to fall. Katara's sudden voice forced Sokka to snap out of it and sit on the grass.

"Sokka, what are you doing? Get in, you'll freeze!"

Sokka knew she was right, he just didn't care all that much, especially when one of all the possibilities repeated in his head. He slowly got up and blankly stared at his sister, who noticed his mug in his hand and sighed.

"Sokka, what's going on?" Her voice had a high contrast with the voice she used when they were fighting. Now Katara just sounded deeply worried, her eyes expressing concern and her eyebrows furrowing as well. "I've tried to give you space, I really did, but I'm not blind. Something's wrong, could you just please tell me what it is?"

Sokka knew she remembered how gone he had been when he lost Yue, even if she barely did anything about it. He was glad Katara was being his sister again, even if she was annoying seventy percent of the time.

Sokka had given up most things when a thick drop fell on his nose, only one thing was spiraling in his head. 

He honestly didn't want to tell Katara what had kept him chained to bed for a couple of days, because it would sort of mean giving her the reason and admitting she was right but every second that passed he cared less.

"It's Zuko," he blurted, his heart pounding every time harder against his chest.

Katara's face immediately changed into a cold expression, her voice turned sharp and fierce. "That's it, next time I see him I'll break his kneecaps."

She turned around to leave but Sokka caught her arm.

"You're not breaking Zuko's anything."

Her eyes shifted between anger and confusion and something must have changed in Sokka's face because then Katara only gave him a questioning look. 

"Could you entertain dad for a bit?" Sokka rushed.

"What?"

He was already walking to the front door, "I promise I'll be back before ten."

He was putting in his sneakers when Hakoda walked out from his room and squinted at his children. "What's going on?"

"Sokka's gone mad."

"On the contrary, my mind has never been clearer," Sokka's voice was extremely determined and his thoughts were set. "Dad, I'll be back before you know it."

Sokka swinged the door open and ran.

🔥

When he woke up, Zuko felt really sluggish and tired, despite having slept all night and most of Sunday.

A part of him wanted to stay in bed and return to his dream but the other part was extremely hungry, so he ignored the seven o'clock on the screen of his phone and got up to have an unhealthy breakfast. He had baked tiramisu cookies yesterday, purely out of self-pity and he still had some, so cookies for breakfast it was. Zuko didn't like coffee but he had to admit these were good.

With a tea in his hand and a napkin full of cookies, he sat on the couch and stared out the window. He frowned at the cloudy day outside, missing the sun rays that went through the window in summer. He vaguely remembered Sokka didn't like dark skies or clouds either, they only hid what he considered the greatest wonder in the universe.

Oh, Sokka.

Zuko mentally slapped himself, he should stop thinking about Sokka. About his sparkly blue eyes, the way he got excited over math or the fact he was a human heat pack.

He knew he should be thinking about an excuse but there was nothing in Zuko's head these last few days other than guilt, regret and Sokka. The desire to tell him he liked him but he just couldn't, Zuko was too scared.

Scared of Sokka liking him back, scared of Sokka walking away. Scared of Sokka hating him or faking his cheerfulness for Zuko's sake. Scared of getting his heart broken.

Great, the tight feeling on his chest returned.

Zuko sighed and bit a cookie, it began to drizzle outside as he went through his dream from last night. 

It had been so simple yet so big for Zuko, to the point his heartbeat spiked when he thought about it. In his dream, Sokka had told Zuko he liked him. They had been at the Jasmine Dragon, in a weird replay of the first time they met except Sokka instead of asking for his number to tutor him, Sokka told him he liked him and asked him out on a date.

Zuko woke up before he got to hear his own answer and it kind of made him angry at himself, although he already knew he'd say yes if Sokka ever asked. He let himself daydream.

What would happen if Sokka, in that chance of one in a million, asked him out?

Where would it be? When would it be? Would Sokka ask or would Zuko lose his patience and ask first? And most importantly, would Sokka say yes?

That let him fall into a chain of thoughts, every single one better and worse than the previous one. Could he ask Sokka on a date? Or better, could he tell Sokka he liked him? Honestly, the thought terrified and made him excited at the same time.

The scenario flashed before him. A scenario in which Zuko told Sokka he liked him and he said he liked Zuko back. A fantasy, really, but the 'what if' couldn't get out of his head.

Zuko remembered he technically could tell Sokka, the reality might play a little bit different than in his head though. But no, Zuko couldn't tell Sokka. If he did, he might ruin their relationship and if he didn't tell Sokka, Zuko may still be able to come up with an excuse. He had to hold himself back.

And yet his finger tickled and his thoughts couldn't stop running in his head. 

What if...?

What if?

_ What if? _

It started to rain outside when he put down his mug with a slightly shaky hand and his heart beating loudly against his chest.

So what if Zuko just told Sokka? 

Sokka wasn't the type to drop friendships, Suki was there to prove it. Zuko was definitely unsure about that, but he had faith that maybe, for once in his life, he may not ruin everything. 

But Sokka was leaving in an hour to the beach, Zuko had no time. 

And yet he had to try, if worse came to worst he'd have a week to get over his feelings.

Zuko's hands were still shaking as he put on some clothes and tied his shoes, not a single plan crossing his mind. He was running on pure impulse and he honestly couldn't decide whether it was for the better or for the worst.

He grabbed his keys and ran outside, not even bothering with the drops that fell on his head and shoulders as he rushed to the bus stop. Five minutes felt like hours until a bus finally arrived, Zuko sat down near a window and tried to calm down his heart as he thought about a plan.

What the hell was he doing? Was he going to just ring the bell and yell at Sokka he liked him? Was he even to make it to the house before Sokka left?

Thought spiraled too fast in his head, just as the stores and shops outside, and a minute turned endless again as the bus stopped at a traffic light. Zuko had the urge to tell the driver to ignore every traffic light and law, just so he could get to Sokka's house faster.

Zuko's heart beat loudly in his ears and despite being really cold, his hands were sweating when he saw a flash of blue run on the sidewalk in the opposite direction through the window.

_ No way. That's impossible. _

He pressed his hands against the window in an effort to see better but he was almost sure he had seen right. At that exact moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket. 

It was Katara.

His heart stopped in his chest as the bus moved forward again, he jumped out of his seat.

"Wait! Stop the bus!"

Zuko nearly fell from the sudden halt, then he stumbled his way down the bus. It was raining harder than before, to the point his hair stuck to his forehead and his hoodie was starting to stick to his back. He didn't care, he began to run back home.

He was by no means a runner but for once again, time seemed to be on his favor because he quickly saw  _ him  _ in the distance. Zuko screamed, even if it felt like he couldn't breathe and his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

"Sokka!"

Sokka immediately stopped and tripped but he quickly got up and looked around, heavily breathing. His eyes widened when he saw Zuko running to him.

As Zuko got closer, he realized Sokka looked terrible. He was soaking wet and his chest went up and down too fast for it to be alright. He looked like he was about to pass out but at the same time more awake than ever.

"Zuko," Sokka sighed when Zuko was close enough, his voice barely above a whisper.

Plan forgotten, Zuko yelled back the only thing that he could think of. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sokka was still catching his breath but nevertheless the less he opened his mouth.

"No," Zuko interrupted, "you're freezing. Let's go back to the apartment before you get sick."

Zuko took Sokka's hand and started to walk but Sokka pulled him back. He didn't give a single step.

"I ran here, Zuko."

Zuko turned around and tried to blink to stop the rain from getting into his eyes. "What?"

"I ran here from my house."

"What?" Zuko yelled, a spark of anger ignited inside of him at Sokka's calm demeanor, as if he just didn't care about the rain or the way he could barely breathe. He was just staring at Zuko, who continued to yell, "Are you insane?"

Sokka looked like he was zoning out while still staring deeply at Zuko, like he wasn't hearing Zuko at all and his thoughts were too loud to pay attention to anything else. "I have something to tell you and I just decided I don't care about the consequences."

Zuko tightened his grip on Sokka's fingers and screamed at himself not to raise his hopes, "Come on, Sokka, you can tell me at the apartment."

He tried to walk away again but Sokka pulled his hand harder this time, "No."

Sokka's voice changed into a more determined tone and the fiery spark returned to his blue eyes, not even the few strands of hair falling from his ponytail could stop Zuko from seeing it.

"Sokka — "

"What if I am insane?" Sokka shouted. "Yes, I broke an important businessman's house! Yes, I stole a soda from a supermarket and yes, I almost got run over coming here! But guess what? I don't care!"

Sokka's words were fast but clear and Zuko understood each one of them, his heart skipped a beat when Sokka gripped so tightly his hand Zuko thought it might break and took a deep breath. Sincerity dripped from Sokka's eyes the same way the rain ran down his face, from his cheeks to his lips.

"I like you, Zuko. I want  _ you _ for worse or for better."

He poked a finger in the middle of Zuko's chest and then exhaled as if the weight of the world was no longer on his shoulders. Then, Sokka briefly looked down with sadness but when he looked up again, his expression was resigned and pain hid behind his eyes.

"And if you don't — "

Zuko cupped Sokka's face between his hands and crashed his lips against him. For a second, Sokka didn't move but then, he tightly gripped Zuko's waist and pressed him against his body. It was fierce and chaste but it sent electricity down Zuko's spine. 

Time stopped, the sound of rain hitting the ground was muffled and the cars passing by were barely even there. Zuko was shivering and Sokka's skin was cold but despite that, Zuko wanted to drown in him.

He couldn't get more air in his lungs so he parted away from Sokka, Zuko had to hold back himself from kissing him again when he noticed Sokka's shocked face.

"You..." He started, his eyes digging into Zuko's, looking for something, maybe some kind of hesitation. "Zuko — "

"I'm sorry," Zuko interrupted him after taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I hurt you by avoiding you, I didn't know. I didn't mean to — "

Sokka kissed him again but this time, it lasted less than a second. 

"Shut up." It served its purpose, Zuko was left speechless. He stared at Sokka's eyes instead, at the way they seemed to turn a darker shade of blue under the rainy sky. Like an ocean raged by a storm. Sokka continued, "Come to the beach with me."

Zuko was taken aback, the air was knocked out of his lungs. Did his ears fail? Was this too good to be true?

No, not at all said the way his clothes stuck uncomfortably to his body, the way he couldn't feel his nose and the way Sokka's arms were still wrapped around his waist. Doubt flashed before Zuko's eyes but Sokka's warm expression made him push it aside. He didn't want to hesitate anymore, not when it came to Sokka.

"Yes," Zuko replied.

Despite the dark sky and the fact they were probably going to get sick and yelled at by Katara later, Sokka gave Zuko the brightest smile. One that felt like it could push away the clouds and let the sun come over, one that made Zuko feel warm and fuzzy inside.

He gave back a smile equally as big.


	14. Chapter 14

A barely heating sunlight hit Zuko's face, then he breathed in. It felt nice, especially the sand under his feet and the sound of waves in his ears. 'Peace' is the word that popped in his head.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ocean a little longer, telling himself he could stay just five more minutes because he was still coming out of a mild cold. Katara and Hakoda would worry if Zuko started sneezing again.

It wasn't that bad, he and Sokka insisted. When they returned to Zuko's apartment, they felt fine, extremely cold but fine. Sokka had a hot shower while Zuko quickly packed some clothes and then he showered. And of course, he lent Sokka some more of his clothes.

They went to Sokka's house, this time under an umbrella. Katara scolded Sokka and Hakoda looked at the boys with big intrigue, worry and a spark of amusement.

Toph had called Yu so she, plus Aang and Suki, went in a fancy car instead of the van while Hakoda, Katara, Sokka and Zuko went in Hakoda's car because Katara and Hakoda demanded an explanation.

As Sokka talked, Hakoda didn't say much but Katara's gaze softened with every word her brother said, Zuko felt his cheeks heat up the entire trip. Katara kept a neutral expression for the rest of the ride and only after they arrived at the beach, she pulled Zuko aside and apologized to him. 

She had sounded threatening, Zuko was sure he had been threatened, but he appreciated the intention. Besides, if he ever hurt Sokka, Zuko would personally ask Katara to break his kneecaps.

The beach was a wonderful place, it was very different from the forest surrounding Toph's cabin but it still stole Zuko's breath away. On their way here, it had been rainy and cloudy but the more they drove, the more blue could be seen in the sky. There were still some clouds but it was nowhere near the weather of the city. 

They passed a town, a big town it could be considered a very small city but they kept going until they arrived at an area with a few houses further apart from each other. 

They parked in front of a big house, with white walls and little children's drawings in blue, it had an overall rustic style. Zuko thought he'd never forget the moment he stepped out of the car, the moment the smell of the sea entered through his nose and reminded him he hadn't gone to the beach since forever.

Zuko and Sokka managed to land a room together, which was Sokka's old room. It had been awkward when they first got in until Sokka loudly sneezed, which made them burst into giggles. 

On the night of the first day, Suki caught them coughing and everyone else put them on bed rest at least until Wednesday. Sokka was mad at first, it wasn't that bad, they didn't have a fever or anything like that, but when he realized he'd have to stay at home with Zuko for two days, he stopped complaining and asked Katara if she could boil some water.

Zuko heard Sokka tell stories for hours, sometimes with a photo album and sometimes with terribly drawn sketches. And at night, they opened the back door of the house, which led them straight into the beach, and sat on the doorframe, bundled in blankets while feeling the sand under their feet. 

They didn't hug or kiss, Sokka just hesitantly held Zuko's hand and leaned his head on Zuko's shoulder, to which Zuko always responded by leaning his head on Sokka's. Nevertheless, Zuko still felt like it was hard to breathe properly and his heart was about to come out of his chest. Maybe that was the beauty of it.

So there he was now, finally seated in the sand facing a calm ocean, with a thick hoodie on and his arms wrapping his knees, after going to buy ingredients to make cookies in the town. Zuko was so focused and at peace he was almost falling asleep so he didn't hear the light steps coming his way.

Sokka slightly startled Zuko when he sat down beside him, but Zuko immediately relaxed when Sokka offered him a steaming mug and smile.

"I hope this one is better than yesterday's," he said.

Zuko felt himself melt and his heart explode, he took the mug and sipped his tea. Then he smiled.

"Definitely better than yesterday's." The flavor wasn't completely right but it was definitely getting there, Sokka beamed at him.

Then, Zuko scooped closer and leaned his head on Sokka's shoulder, a part of him wished he had brought a blanket to lay there. Sokka felt tense beside him and his breathing too slow to be natural, Zuko held his mug with one hand and took Sokka's with the other, then he waited.

Sokka deeply breathed on, "Zuko."

Zuko hummed and looked up. God, would he ever get tired of this sight? Sokka's blue eyes were wide and shined now they were in a clear sky, the sunlight hit his tanned skin just right and Zuko had the urge to count again the barely visible freckles on Sokka's face. 

The only thing keeping Zuko from completely zoning out was the slight frown between Sokka's eyebrows, Zuko had the impulse to smooth it out and he did just that. He let go of Sokka's hand and gently brushed his thumb on his forehead, Sokka briefly closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

Then, he took Zuko's hand and stared at it for a few seconds before blurting out his next words while deeply staring at Zuko's eyes.

"Would you be my boyfriend?"

Zuko's face fell blank for a moment before a smirk twisted his lips and huffed a laugh.

"And here I thought I already kind of was."

"Oh! I... I thought..." Sokka stuttered as he scratched his head. "Well, I... I'm so — "

Zuko softly kissed him and for a split second, Sokka tensed more than before to then completely melt into Zuko. Sokka was awfully red and short of breath when Zuko pulled away.

"I'd gladly be for your boyfriend."

Sokka's face lit up and nearly made Zuko drop his mug when he took Zuko's face and kissed him again, this time making both of them fall into the sand in a tangled mess. Zuko smiled against Sokka's lips, he smiled so big his cheeks hurt.

"Hey, lovebirds!" 

Sokka looked up with wide eyes and Zuko couldn't do much given the position he was in but he recognized Suki's voice.

"Get in, cuddling in the sand will get you another cold."

Zuko heard Toph sigh, "Thank God I'm blind."

"We'll be right there," Sokka replied.

Suki huffed and probably got in because then Sokka stared down at Zuko, both of them still with big grins on their faces.

"We should get in," Zuko whispered, his heart beating against Sokka's chest, who nodded and hummed in agreement but neither of them moved.

Zuko stared deeply into Sokka's eyes and delicately traced the side of his face with his finger. Then, Sokka took his hand and laid a kiss on the inside of his palm.

"We  _ should  _ get in," he mumbled against it, "but why hurry?"

Sokka moved from on top of Zuko into the sand with Zuko's eyes attentively following him, their bodies still glued to each other. The fond smile Sokka gave him this time felt different than the others, this one was a smile of love and devotion. It made Zuko's heart skip a beat and then run wild when Sokka brushed aside a few strands of hair away from his face and then sighed.

"We have all the time in the world."

Zuko couldn't agree more and because of that, he left his mug on the sand and kissed Sokka as if time stopped just for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, if you made it here, thank you so much. Seriously, you have no idea how much I appreciate it, that fact someone read something I wrote, something this long, is mindblowing!
> 
> Like you probably already realized, I'm a sucker for happy endings but! When I finished writing this, I realized I let a lot of loose threats regarding other characters and their relationship so I wrote four extras to make up for it. They are by no means necessary, if you don't like them, you can skip them with no problem, but if you're in for some more fluff, the “next chapter” button is for you.
> 
> Again, thank you reader, because as a writer you mean everything to us. Remember to drink your water, don't stress too much and know your characters and your ships will always be there for you!
> 
> Also, fun fact: all of this born in my shower while I listened to a Taylor Swift song.


	15. Aang & Katara

In Aang's opinion, the day had been a complete failure in every sense of the word.

It started alright though, he and Katara managed not to wake up cuddling each other in Katara's old room, like they have been at Toph's cabin so they saved themselves an embarrassing moment. Aang needed that push, he had a great day planned ahead and if everything went well, he might confess to Katara at the end of it, he wanted to make it special.

In the morning at a late breakfast, with everyone squeezing themselves to fit around the table, Aang tried to be a gentleman by serving Katara her favorite blackberry milk, which he managed to smuggle without her noticing in his bag before coming to the beach, specifically for this occasion.

He walked to the corner of the table where Katara was seated talking to Suki and lightly tapped Katara's shoulder. She turned around with curious eyes and her expression completely changed into one of surprise when she saw the small purple carton Aang was holding. 

"Aang, where did you get that? I haven't seen that in years," she exclaimed.

Aang smiled smugly, "I have my ways."

The truth was that Aang went around the entire city for it, and the vendor had told him the product had been discontinued so of course Aang bought a ton and had more back in his house.

He leaned in to pour some milk in Katara's mug in front of her but right at that moment, Sokka loudly entered the living room. Aang jumped in his place and spilled milk on Katara. Thank God it wasn't hot but it still stained her light blue pajama pants and it made Aang beg the Earth to swallow him. 

"Oh, no! I'm so, so sorry!" He said while giving Katara as many napkins as he could.

"It's alright, Aang," she replied as she tried to dry her pants. 

Hakoda watched the situation with an amused expression and Suki tried not to laugh by sipping her tea to then tell Sokka to sit down and not to move too much.

⏳

Katara had promised Aang a tour around the town nearby and given that Sokka and Zuko were sick and Suki and Toph preferred a day at the beach, she and Aang were going to go alone. He was thrilled and nervous, trying his best to believe it still could be a wonderful afternoon after all.

They agreed to walk there, because it wasn't that far and both of them liked to walk. Katara filled the empty space with some stories about her and Sokka when they were children and Aang listened to every word, a warmth spreading through his chest and a special glint in his eyes.

They soon arrived to the town, which had more shops than Aang expected. It had some restaurants and some hotels and Aang realized why they didn't live here, and instead lived further away. It was cheerful, the people around looked happy and some of them recognized Katara, so they stopped to say hi.

Because it was a rather touristic town, it had a street market with food and souvenirs, little trinkets and handmade crafts. While they were slowly walking, seeing the stalls, their hands lightly brushed, which made Aang's heart skip a beat and want to mentally slap himself. Why couldn't he just gather some courage and tell Katara he liked her?

It was around lunch time when they decided they were going to get something to eat because they still had a lot to see. Neither of them admitted but the reality was they wanted just a little bit more time on their own. They ended up buying kale cookies and Aang refused to let Katara pay. Aang also bought Gyatso a wide-eyed lemur keychain, because he had asked for a souvenir and bought Appa new name tag.

"I haven't had these in forever," Katara sighed after she took a bite.

Aang could only nod and stare at her in awe, at the way her skin was glowing and joy swimmed in her eyes. 

After, they kept walking and almost at the end of the street market, there was a stall that sold seashell necklaces, bracelets and little chains for braided hair. There were other similar stalls in the market but Aang thought this was special when he glanced at the designs of the necklaces. 

Aang swiftly took Katara's hand and stopped her. In a spurt of courage and with his heart on his throat, he spoke.

"Pick one."

"What?"

"Pick one," he pointed at the stall and this time his voice came out a lot less sure.

Aang resisted the urge to run, Katara probably had tons of necklaces or seashell trinkets. What was he even thinking? But before Aang could take back his offer, Katara whispered an answer. 

"Okay."

Katara walked to the stall and eyed the necklaces that hung on the wall and then the rest in the low display window in front of her. She pointed at one of them on the wall, "That one."

It was a beautiful necklace actually, it was a circular light purple moonstone inside a seashell with an intricate design carved in it and Aang thought it couldn't be more perfect for Katara.

"Hi, Miss," he greeted the old lady behind the display window, who smiled at them, "can I get that necklace, please?"

"Of course."

Aang searched in his jacket for his wallet, which had money specially to buy something for Katara. The lady handed him the necklace when Aang's heart completely stopped. He patted his clothes over and over again but besides his phone and two napkins, his pockets were all empty.

"Oh, no."

"What's wrong?" Katara asked.

The words made Aang panic even more, "I think I lost my wallet."

Katara's expression shifted, "Do you remember the last time you saw it?"

"No, I bought tons of stuff!"

"Okay, let's look for it," Katara's hopeful tone slightly calmed down Aang's panic. "Let's split, you search around here and I'll search around at the other side of the market, okay?"

Aang frantically nodded and then Katara disappeared from his sight into the market. He began to ask around, he asked every passing person and every stall owner but the more he went around, the more he lost hope and the more pressure sat in his chest.

His wallet didn't have any card inside and there wasn't a lot of money left but it was still a bummer, he really wanted to buy Katara that necklace. He arrived at the beginning of the market, expecting to find the girl there but she was nowhere to be seen.

Aang sighed and thought about calling Katara when she showed up from the same direction he had come from.

"Did you have any luck?" She asked and Aang slowly shook his head. "Was there anything important in it?"

_ Except money to buy you a present, no, there wasn't anything important. _

Aang shook his head again and Katara gave him a half smile, "Well, it isn't the end of the world, isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," Aang answered and smiled back at Katara.

She inhaled and opened her mouth but she didn't say anything and Aang didn't question it. Suddenly, Katara's eyes lit up and then she grabbed Aang's hand and dragged him out the market.

They ended up at the beach with what Katara claimed to be the best homemade popsicles ever, which she had to pay for, and Aang agreed with her. They had taken off their shoes and were walking besides the shore.

Halfway to the house, their shoulders brushed and that started a game of push and pull until both of them were soaking wet. Giving up on going home for a bit, they dropped their things on the sand and fully stepped into the cold water.

Katara was an expert swimmer and even if Aang wasn't, he managed to catch up with her. They swimmed, splashed each other and raced until their eyes were red and their fingers wrinkled. They laughed until their cheeks hurt.

Aang was walking back to the shore while mentally going through his confession speech when a sharp pain shot through his foot. He screamed and grabbed his foot, falling and splashing all over. 

"Aang!"

His face was crunched and he was gritting his teeth as Katara dragged him to the shore. Her eyes widened and expression shifted into one of concern when she saw the small, red crab pinching the side of Aang's foot.

"Oh, God. Take it off!" Aang yelled.

With expert hands, Katara took the crab's pincers and took them away from Aang's foot as carefully as possible to avoid hurting the crab. Then, she threw it back into the sea.

The pain on Aang's foot persisted but after the pressure was gone, he took a deep breath and glanced at it. There was a small line on the side of his foot, which was very red and was bleeding just a little bit. He knew he'd be fine, he just needed to go home, clean the wound so it wouldn't get infected and take care of it until it healed in a couple of days.

He'd be fine but at  _ this _ moment Aang wanted to start crying.

The day had been terrible, not a single thing he had planned had worked, the special day for Katara and his confession were ruined. He stared at the sand under him and tried to swallow down the knot in his throat.

Katara's light chuckle brought him back to reality. "Aang, what's wrong? Why such a long face?"

He looked up at Katara's slightly amused expression and he honestly couldn't avoid thinking about how pretty she looked. Her dark hair was wet, which gave her a wild look and her skin and her eyes shined in the sunset light.

It kind of hurt Aang how pretty she was, how kind and brave she always acted and it all made him feel worse.

"I blew it," he mumbled and stared back at the sand.

Katara's eyes turned confused, "Blew what?"

Aang sighed, he was set on telling Katara he liked her and he had blown all chances of making it special. 

Doubt sat in mind, did he have anything to lose at this point? 

It had been a terrible day already, he thought, it'd be better if Katara rejected him today than in a bright and sunny day. He locked eyes with Katara, who was looking at him expectantly, and took a deep breath.

"I like you, Katara, I like you a lot and I really wanted to make today the best day ever, to make it special but I totally ruined it."

Katara's shocked expression lasted a good couple of seconds until she broke into a loud laugh. Aang stared at her with wide eyes and with his heart on his hand.

Eventually, Katara stopped laughing and while still trying to breathe right, she grabbed Aang's face and made him look straight into her eyes.

"Aang, I think sometimes you are denser than Sokka," she said.

Aang opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, out of all the scenarios that had played in his head, this wasn't one of them. Had he just been corresponded or rejected? Katara let go of his face and continued.

"I also think that you don't realize how special you made today." Aang's face fell blank. "After you spilled milk on me, dad told me those pajamas were old anyways and some new clothes would do me some good. The kale cookies at the market, I haven't had those in forever because neither Sokka or dad like them.”

She grabbed her clothes and began searching for something in its pocket. After a moment, she pulled the necklace Aang wanted to buy for her.

"The lady gave it to me," Katara continued. "I went back to the stall to look for you but you weren't there and the lady insisted, saying she had seen the way you look at me. It's been a while since I get seashell jewelry, or jewelry in general.

And these last hours here at the beach have been the most fun I've had in so long, because we always do the same stuff when we come here, this was new and…  _ exciting _ . Besides, of course I'd help you walk back home and you don't have to feel bad about it, Sokka has been pinched by crabs enough to last a lifetime."

By the time she finished, Katara had a fond smile on her face and a special glow on her eyes while Aang could only stare at her in shock. He completely stopped breathing when Katara leaned in and planted a kiss on his chest.

She chuckled, "And I like you a lot too."

Aang's heart exploded in his chest, his brain wasn't processing.

"You... you really — "

"I do."

The biggest smile broke in Aang's face, the sting on his foot was pushed to the back of his mind. 

"Come on, fallen soldier," Katara said as she stood up and then offered Aang a hand. "Let's go home so you can brag about your battle scars."

"It will scar?" Aang yelled before taking Katara's hand.

She laughed and shook her head as she picked up their stuff, "Of course not."

Katara made a bundle with their clothes and hung it off Aang's frame, then she grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulder and the other on Aang's waist.

"Now let me tell you about the first time Sokka got pinched by a crab," Katara started and they began to slowly walk home with the sound of the waves and the sand under their feet as only companions.

It had been a terrible day for Aang but as he listened to Katara's joyful voice and watched as the sunlight made the blue in her eyes deeper, so much he wanted to swim in them, he decided today was coincidentally one of the best days of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually based on a real life story. You'll see, in my country there is actually blueberry milk and it's the most delicious thing ever, favorite childhood drink, 10/10 would recommend. When I grew up, I stopped seeing it in supermarkets and one day I was craving so bad, I ended up at the company fabric place where I was told it had been discontinued but they had some, so I bought a ton.
> 
> Also, fun fact: kale cookies are actual food from the Water Tribe in the TV show and I still can't believe I spent like an hour of my life researching food just to write kale cookies.


	16. Suki & Toph

Alright, she was nervous, she admitted. If Suki could dropkick anyone that stepped on her way and didn't hesitate to call out people when they were doing something wrong, why suddenly go on a date made her hands sweat and her heart go crazy?

Suki was on her way to Sokka's house to help him out with whatever situation he and Zuko probably were in, and then go to Aang's house, where Toph was staying for the weekend, and pick her up for what they officially called a date.

Ever since they met a few weeks ago, Suki had been hanging out with Toph. It's been a while since Suki had a boyfriend or a girlfriend and it was starting to get boring.

Toph immediately brought some spice to her life, since the moment Suki stepped out of the Beifong Company van. Toph had been bold and wasn't afraid to speak her mind and there wasn't anything Suki found more attractive than that. Pinning for months just wasn't her style.

When Sokka invited her to his house at the beach, Suki hesitated. She rarely spent the holidays with her parents so she spent them with her karate group and she actually had fun. But the moment Sokka mentioned Toph might come too, Suki said screw it and told Sokka she was coming.

Suki and Toph weren't all that innocent, in the sense they weren't like Sokka and Zuko, completely oblivious to the situation. Suki knew Toph liked her and vice versa and both of them made it clear, with a constant game of push and pull, always to see who could fluster the other more.

Toph was affectionate with Suki, which often involved some level of competitiveness and insinuating comments about dating that Suki responded with attitude. But now, she wanted to take the next step, even if something inside of her was slightly scared.

Suki arrived at the blue house just a little bit later than planned but Sokka didn't need to know that. It went better than expected as well, but she wouldn't deny it had been a little rollercoaster of emotions. Sad for Sokka, angry at Zuko and almost completely freaking out when Toph called her.

The moment the doorbell rang was the moment Suki's heart ran, ran way faster than intended. She was walking to the living when she heard Toph's voice.

"Would Suki happen to be here?"

"I am!"

Suki stepped into the living room, Toph was at the front door along with Katara besides her.

"There you are," Toph said. "And here I thought you got cold feet."

"I would never,"  _ You're here already, I can't get cold feet. _ Suki smirked and for once, she faked confidence instead of actually feeling it. "Are you ready?"

"I am and Yu is ready as well."

Suki took Toph's hand and said goodbye to Katara, who let out a silent chuckle. 

The car parked in front of Aang's house was definitely not the white van. Suki knew practically nothing about cars but the way the silver paint seemed to shine and the way the tires were jet black told her this was a fancy car. Still with a slight frown in his face, Yu opened the door for the girls and let them in.

"Alright, Suki, you can tell Yu where we're going," Toph said.

She was treating the date as a normal hangout so Suki decided she would do the same, she'd think about it later. Suki told Yu the address and the man started the car. An awkward silence settled between them and Suki begged Toph couldn't hear how loud her heart was beating. Toph suddenly broke the silence.

"I'm so excited, I've never been to a fair before."

Suki widened her eyes, that was a detail she didn't know or rather didn't cross her mind. "Never?"

"Never, my parents think fairs are kind of dirty and they're also scared I get lost in the crowd." The causal tone Toph used told Suki it wasn't that big of a deal for her, "But you'll be there to guide me, don't you?"

"Of course I will." That managed to calm down some of Suki's nerves, maybe Toph was just as nervous as her. 

Toph grinned, "I don't know how fairs work or what kind of games I'll be able to play, but we'll smash the place, right?"

Suki could've swore Toph was the perfect girl for her right then and there, "You can bet on it."

⏳

They halted their steps at the entrance of the fair, a block away from where You parked the car, and for a split second Suki thought she had made a mistake. 

Plenty of colorful, bright lights could be seen from here, plus the all the noise and different smells. Toph had a hesitant expression on her face and Suki opened her mouth to speak and tell her they could still do something else. She was stopped when Toph suddenly grabbed her hand.

"You said you'd guide me, didn't you?"

"I did," Suki nodded and tried not to think about her possibly sweaty hand, "but if this is too much, we can always do something else."

A smile slowly spread across Toph's face, "It is a lot but where would the fun be if we did the same old things?"

"Alright then," Suki replied.

Then, she thanked the universe for their height difference and let go of Toph's hand to put her arm around her shoulders, successfully making Toph momentarily speechless. It fired back though, because then Toph slid her arm around Suki's waist, making some blood crawl up to her cheeks.

She sighed, this was going to be such a good night.

⏳

And she had been completely right. This has been one of the best nights in Suki's life and probably taking the number one spot on her long lists of dates, might even topping her and Sokka's date to an indoor extreme sports center to kick each other's butts.

The first thing they did was to look around and Suki knew she had made the right choice when Toph wouldn't shut up about how good everything smelled. They agreed they would have something to eat later, whatever Toph's nose guided them to after playing some games.

Despite being what Sokka called a 'badass', Suki was still a girl so she still wanted a cliché element on her date. What would be better than to win her date a plushie? They walked around, enjoying the lights and how people laughed while Suki tried to find the perfect prize.

From the corner of her eye, she saw it and almost walked past it. Suki tried to be discreet when she said she wanted to play that game but Toph, ironically, saw right through her.

"You want to win me a plushie, don't you?"

Suki stood quiet for a second before spitting it out, "Yeah," and before Toph could say anything else she added, "I want my date to remember tonight."

Toph's breathing faltered and Suki grinned.

"Well, I say that's not fair," Toph crossed her arms and raised her chin, "I want to win you something too."

Suki's heart skipped a beat, this girl was going to the end of her one day.

"Help me find a game I can play and I'll get you the best plushie in this fair," Toph continued.

"Promised," Suki agreed, "but I'll get you one first and I doubt anything will top this."

"Bet."

Suki took Toph's hand and together they walked closer to the game, which was a classic high striker. Luckily, it was empty but even if it wasn't, Suki would walk in like it was her own house.

"I see lights in a vertical straight line, what's this?" Toph asked.

"It's a high striker," Suki answered.

"Ooohhh, are you confident?" 

"You can bet I am." Toph's cocky expression and the skepticism in the old man behind the red, wood counter only made Suki gain more confidence.

The truth was that while she was strong and smart, Sokka had been smarter on their first date at a fair. He immediately won and a few weeks later Suki demanded to know the secret.

It wasn't about strength, it was about accuracy and that was something Suki had cultivated for years.

With easy steps, she accepted the heavy mallet and walked to the high striker, which glowed with lights that blinked too fast and had a little bit more dust than what you'd expect. Suki breathed in, isolating the fair lights and the noises around her, then she grabbed the mallet the way Sokka taught her and swinged.

The bell chirped in less than a second, Suki turned around to smile at Toph and her shocked expression.

"No way! Was that you?"

"Oh, yeah."

The grey haired man behind the counter apparently couldn't believe it either because his expression was even more surprised than Toph's and also slightly angry. Suki leaned over the counter and asked the old man the black and white striped badger plushie while pointing at it, which the man begrudgingly gave it to her.

Smiling, she turned to Toph, who was leaning against the counter, and took her hand to give her the stuffed animal.

Toph frowned as she examined her gift, "What's this?"

"It's a badger."

Toph froze for a second before breaking into a loud laugh, she shook the plushie and slapped her leg. She was clearly trying to say something but she couldn't breathe properly until a couple of minutes passed.

"I can't believe..." She started while drying a tear, then she took a deep breath. "You are definitely something else."

A proud expression took over Suki's face and her breath was cut short when Toph hooked her arm around Suki's. Then, she poked it with the hand that was holding the badger.

"Miss, I'm afraid that as an underage person, you shouldn't be carrying guns this powerful."

Suki let out a loud laugh as they continued to walk.

After a couple of minutes of strolling around, they managed to find a game that wasn't rigged. There were mostly children there but Toph didn't care all that much given that she could win and that Suki genuinely liked one of the prizes.

It was easy, there were big, metal cans stacked in pyramids of different sizes and you had three shots to take one down with a softball. The thing was that Toph, despite being blind, had a very good accuracy when throwing if someone aimed for her and she also had a very strong arm.

They waited for one kid and one teenager to throw and then they walked up to the counter, asking for three shots to the lady behind it. The lady didn't spare them a second glance and accepted their money.

"Alright, Tigress," Toph's voice and face were determined, "what's the one that can get you the biggest prize here?"

Suki walked to the farthest can pyramid while holding Toph's hand, then she positioned Toph right in front of it.

"This is it," Suki said.

"How big is it?"

"Six levels of cans, each one of them around eight inches tall and ten feet away from you."

Toph deeply inhaled, "Is it right in front of me?"

"Yes."

"How right in front of me?"

They were starting to get some looks but Suki couldn't care less, "The center of the pyramid is right about your chest level."

"Okay," Toph sounded nervous but her expression was set but even if Suki knew Toph could do it, she silently begged for the cans to fall with her heart on her hand.

Toph took a deep breath, raised the ball and threw it hard. It was too fast for Suki to see but the one can that fell told her it didn't matter how fast the ball had been.

"That sounded like one can, was it one?"

"Yep."

A small frown showed up between Toph's eyebrows and Suki was about to offer help but then Toph cracked her neck and her knuckles. "That was a trial test, now I'm going for real."

The lady behind the counter was openly staring at them now, Suki locked eyes with her and raised an eyebrow until she stopped. Her attention went back to Toph, who raised her hand with her second ball.

"This one's for you, Sandy Cheeks."

Toph threw the ball with enough force to leave a bruise on someone and in a split second, the can pyramid fell down with a metallic bang, leaving only two cans standing, which was enough for to get a prize.

"Oh, my God! Did I do it?" Toph shouted.

"Yes, you did!" Suki grabbed Toph and gave her a spin but when she stopped, she didn't let go of Toph.

"See? Told you I could do it," she said with a proud smirk.

"I doubted you for a second but you proved me wrong."

Toph huffed, "Of course I proved you wrong. Now come on, pick your prize."

Suki let go of Toph and asked for her plushie, which was a figure dressed in black and red that probably was trying to resemble a stereotypical ninja.

"What is it?" Toph asked.

Suki proudly handed the plushie to her, "It's a ninja."

Toph huffed a laugh and after a few seconds of touching, she gave it back to Suki. Then, Toph hooked her arm around Suki's again and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"It suits you better than what I thought possible," Toph sighed, then she looked up. "I'm really hungry, what about you?"

"I'm starving." And they walked deeper into the fair.

⏳

Half an hour later, they were lying on the grass of a park near the fair, eating cinnamon sugar churros and sharing a soda. After getting the food, Toph confessed her head was starting to hurt a little bit, probably from all the flashing lights so Suki immediately suggested going to the park and cool down.

"Is your head better?" Suki asked after biting the last churro.

"Oh, yeah. I just needed a break and this couldn't be more perfect," Toph answered in a relaxed tone.

Suki was lying on the grass, not minding the cold slipping through her coat, and Toph had her head leaned on her stomach. Both of their breathings were calm but the nerves had returned to Suki.

It had been fun but she still felt like something else could be done, like something was missing. She pondered as she stared at the dark sky and the barely shining stars in it until suddenly, Toph's voice brought her back to reality.

"Suki, can I touch your face?"

Suki's breath got caught in her throat and the vulnerability in Toph's voice made her heart clench. 

"Of course," Suki softly whispered back.

Toph sat up to let Suki do the same, then she scooped closer until Suki could slightly feel Toph's breathing. Toph slowly raised a hand and began to trace Suki's face, from her forehead to her chin.

Her touch was so delicate and light, something Suki never imagined Toph could do. She closed her eyes and let Toph continue her path over Suki's eyebrows and cheekbones. From her eyelids to the bridge of her nose and from eyelashes to her lips, where her fingertips stayed a second longer than the rest.

Suki was nowhere near perfect, she had a few zits on the sides of her face, her eyelashes weren't as long as she'd like and her lips were on the thinner side but Toph didn't care. She continued despite already having mapped Suki's face and it made Suki feel so beautiful, even under the makeup she was wearing.

The night was definitely cold but Toph's next words made Suki feel all warm inside.

"Wow," Suki opened her eyes and saw Toph's in awe expression, "you're pretty."

Suki let out a nervous laugh, her heart was beating like crazy and it was hard to breath. Toph continued her feather-like touch, she was breathing the same air as Suki and then Toph stopped at her lips, slighting pressing with her thumb.

"I'm smudging your lipstick, am I?" She whispered.

Nothing came out of Suki's mouth but she slowly nodded. Toph was every time closer, she swallowed and licked her lips.

"Can I smudge it a little bit more?"

"As much as you like."

Suki didn't dare to breath when Toph cupped her cheek and closed the space between them. Her heart stopped as she grabbed Toph's wrist and moved her lips against hers. The warmth coming from Toph's was something Suki thought she'd never forget and the sweet taste of sugar on her lips made Suki lose her mind and want to freeze time from passing by.

When she couldn't breathe anymore, she parted away from Toph, who didn't let her go very far because she kept her hand on Suki's cheek, their noses lightly brushing.

"You know? Sometimes there are things I wish I could see," Toph started, short of breath as well, "but I would give up my sight over and over again if that meant it would lead me to being with you like this."

_ You're gonna be the end of me one day. _

Suki swinged a leg over Toph and pressed her lips against hers again.

⏳

Despite her burning desire that time stopped, time flew by. They had to stop making out on the grass when Aang called, asking Toph if she was coming home and to tell her Boulder was digging holes on the carpet from so much pacing.

Neither Suki nor Toph had looked at the hour so when they found out it was almost eleven, they got up and walked to the car with their bodies glued to each other.

Toph attempted to continue kissing Suki but she stopped her out of respect for Yu and reminded Toph they were going to see each other again on Monday. Toph grudgingly agreed but she stayed pressed to Suki's side for the entire ride while Suki played with her fingers.

They arrived sooner than expected to Suki's apartment and before she could open the door, Toph made Suki's head turn to her and kissed her one last time for the night. Suki got dizzy and breathless but she strongly believed she'd repeated forever.

She stepped out of the car and walked to the door on the building when Toph shouted from the car as if the neighbors didn't exist.

"Hey, pretty girl!" Suki turned around with slightly red cheeks and the biggest grin on her face to see Toph almost falling out the window. 

"Yes?" Suki replied.

"Wear that lipstick more often!"

Suki let out a loud laugh, "For you, maybe I will!"


	17. Azula & Ty Lee & Mai

She regretted, she was sorry but how the hell were those words going to leave her mouth?

Azula was pacing from side to side and fidgeting with an angry expression outside the school on the other side of the city.

And for what?

Well, Ty Lee had a competition inside and even though Azula was sure Ty Lee pretty much hated her right now, it felt so wrong not to be there when she had been to every single competition Ty Lee had had ever since she entered cheerleading.

The small box felt like it weighed a ton on Azula's hands and her heart was beating too fast in her chest. She'd lied if she said she wasn't angry at herself, this entire situation was stupid, she just needed to say screw it and get in, it wasn't that hard.

Or even better, drop everything and go home. Ty Lee was a coward if she couldn't take Azula's attitude, she's always been like this, why the sudden change? Azula was about to drop the box into the nearest trashcan when Zuko's words echoed in her mind.

_ 'If you don't quit it right now, Ty Lee will leave.' _

Anger fired up inside of her when she thought about those words and the pang on her chest that came with it. She groaned and stomped her foot in the ground, almost growling at the two persons that stared at her.

"What are you doing here?"

Azula quickly turned around and saw Mai with a slightly angry expression. Well, as angry as her usual blank face could be.

"Why do you care?" Azula spat back as she crossed her arms.

Now on top of being angry, Azula was annoyed. Mai looked much put together than her, with her long hair perfectly straight, a black cardigan without a single wrinkle and shiny chains hanging from her pants. Meanwhile, Azula had the worst ponytail she had ever made, barely any makeup and black jeans that should be in the laundry basket. His dad totally would've made her dress again but he wasn't home when she went out.

In her defense, Ty Lee's competition started at eleven and it had been ten when Azula decided to come.

"I'm here for Ty Lee," Mai continued, staring straight into Azula's eyes, "and I asked what are you doing here?"

Azula didn't say anything, she couldn't answer a question she didn't have the answer of. She hadn't talked to Mai ever since their fight the night Zuko decided to play being a thief with the blue eyed boy. 

Mai would probably judge her if Azula said she felt guilty about it, would probably judge her if she bought an apology present for Ty Lee days ago but didn't dare to give it to her and instead almost tear the art project she made for Azula? Would Mai judge her and laugh at her if Azula said she wanted to apologize?

Her fears came true in a way when Mai's next words had a mocking and sarcastic tone to them, "You came back to your senses?"

That was enough.

"I was never out of my senses," Azula bit back.

"So you haven't."

Mai turned around and began to walk to the entrance of the school and Azula downright panicked. It was now or never, because she knew better than anyone how scarce second chances were. It had been enough, she could force herself stop being a fucking coward.

"I came to apologize," Azula blurted.

Mai froze and slowly turned around with a frown on her face. "To who?"

Azula sighed, "Oh, come on, don't make me do this."

The eyebrow raise and the return of the blank expression made Azula want to slap Mai but for once, she swallowed her pride and answered.

"Fine! I came to apologize to Ty Lee and now you're here, I guess I'll apologize to you too."

A heavy silence fell between them, Mai crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Azula. "Well? I'm waiting."

Azula loudly groaned and almost threw Ty Lee's apology presents to the ground. 

"I'm sorry, okay?" She yelled, "I shouldn't have reacted like that the other night, I shouldn't have said what I said and I definitely shouldn't have hurt Ty Lee's feeling like that! I was a bitch and I'm sorry, okay?"

Azula silently thanked the universe her father wasn't here to hear her curse and scream. Mai looked her up and down to then sigh and roll her eyes.

"Come on," she said, the tension on her body gone and the smallest smirk on her lips, "Ty Lee is probably still in the locker room."

The pressure inside Azula's chest lessened as she followed Mai inside the school, with guilt and fear still in one hand and the box in the other.

⏳

Mai had gone to save them some seats and let Azula walk to the locker room, her palms were sweating and her heart was hammering against her chest. The door to the locker room was closed but voices were clearly coming from inside, too many to identify Ty Lee's.

Great, so now Azula needed to knock and maybe talk to strangers. With a sigh, she knocked three times on the door and after a second of complete silence, a boy with grey eyes and a beanie opened the door.

"Hi, can I help you with something?" He said, voice way too cheerful for Azula to handle right now.

"I'm looking for Ty Lee. Is she here?"

Yes, straight to the point. The less she talked, the less she would screw up as if Ty Lee wasn't here. Ugh, Azula might as well give up and go home. 

The boy hesitated, "Give me a second."

He closed the door and let Azula outside, glaring at the awfully painted door. A few whispers came from the other side of the door and while that happened, the possibility of leaving the box and running crossed her mind.

But she couldn't do that, the boy may give Ty Lee a description of her and Ty Lee would connect the dots and Azula would have to suffer her questions and the creeping fear that came with them. There were too many possibilities she could think of, each one of them with a different ending and not for the first time, Azula wished she could stop thinking.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the door opened again and a different pair of gray eyes appeared in front of her.

"Azula," Ty Lee's voice wasn't nearly as cheerful as usual, worry and guilt churned Azula's stomach, "what are you doing here?"

Ty Lee's gaze wasn't as bright as usual either and she didn't look all that surprised at Azula's presence there, she just looked curious yet cautious at the same time. Azula's mouth was suddenly very dry, what the hell was she supposed to say to her? Because Azula was sure that what she told Mai wouldn't work as well with Ty Lee.

"Five minutes, team!" Someone yelled inside the locker room, Ty Lee glanced back and sighed.

"Azula, I gotta — "

"I'm sorry."

There, she said it, there was no turning back now. If she wanted to be a coward, the opportunity just passed by. Azula was having trouble breathing and if she wasn't gripping the box, she was sure she'd be digging her nails on her palms. Despite the feeling that she needed to run away to save her life, she continued.

"I shouldn't have hurt your feelings." Ty Lee's mouth hung open and her eyes were so wide Azula thought they would come out of their sockets. "You work really hard, you have kept up with my bullshit for years and you don't deserve that.

I hate that I have to give away your art projects because they're too pretty for that old lady to keep and I hate the way I made you feel. I really appreciate your company and I don't know what I would do Thursday nights without it, I was a real bitch to you and I'm truly sorry."

It came out way faster and messier than Azula wanted but it was out already. Ty Lee opened and closed her mouth over and over again, and only when the cheerleader team began to walk out of the locker room she came back to herself.

"Azula, I..."

Ty Lee was blocking the way out so she stepped aside and bumped with Azula's hands, which were still holding the box. Right, the box.

When Azula had Ty Lee's attention again, she handed her the box. Ty Lee hesitantly took it and threw her a look.

"What's this?"

Azula stared at the box enough to burn holes in it, "An apology present."

Ty Lee looked like she was about to start crying, except that tears were not coming to her eyes. She carefully untied the pink bow on the box and opened it, she let out a gasp.

"You... where did you..." She stuttered and then looked up at Azula. "Where did you get this?"

Inside the box were two things: Ty Lee's favorite coconut snack and two tickets for the next show of Cirque du Soleil. 

"I pulled a few strings," Azula answered, suddenly feeling like running away would've been a much better idea because the look of utter shock and confusion in Ty Lee's face was almost too much to handle.

"Why are you doing this, Azula?" 

Yeah, why was Azula doing this? It was a great question actually and the answer was deep inside Azula, it was also an answer she was too scared to say out loud because there was a voice repeating itself in her head, like a mantra inside of her.

A voice that said she should be assertive and not regret her choices, that told her to be smart and only keep those useful around her. A voice that said not to form attachments because in the end, everyone left no matter how hard you tried to keep them close.

But Azula couldn't listen to the voice right now, so she chose to be a fucking coward and tell Ty Lee the truth.

"I don't want to lose you."

Ty Lee completely froze for a few seconds, to then slowly inhale and blink a couple of times as she tightly held the box. 

"Oh, Azula..." She sighed.

Then, she left the box on the floor and wrapped her arms around Azula's shoulders, who suddenly became as tense as bowstring. Through gritted teeth, she hugged Ty Lee's waist and slowly relaxed. The pressure inside Azula's chest was gone and it felt so good to finally be able to breathe.

She nearly growled when the boy with the beanie, this time without the beanie, cleared his throat behind them and reminded them Ty Lee was running a bit late.

"Right!" She said and quickly switched looks between Azula and the boy.

Azula took the box from the floor and lightly slapped Ty Lee's shoulder. "Go crush them."

Ty Lee stared at her for a couple more seconds before giving Azula a smile she thought could rival the sun. Then, she ran after the boy and left Azula in the hallway, only this time Azula knew she could perfectly follow Ty Lee and that her absence was merely temporary.

She sighed and let the smallest smile break in her face, to then walk to where Mai was waiting for her.

⏳

The team actually got second place but despite that, Ty Lee was glowing. Her braid was messy and her uniform a little bit wrinkled but she happily swinged her arms over Mai and Azula's taller frames.

"So what do you think about going to eat something?"

"I have some time," Mai nonchalantly replied.

Both girls looked at Azula, who raised an eyebrow at them and smirked. "Who do you think is going to pay for the food? Of course I'm going."

Ty Lee squealed with joy and Mai faintly smiled and for once, Azula let go of her fears and walked with what she wanted, and was determined to eventually call, her friends.


	18. Sokka & Zuko

"I can't believe you're doing this," Zuko said as he got into Sokka's car.

Sokka let go of the wheel to cup Zuko's sleepy, grumpy face and kiss him. It was a short kiss but it did the trick because Zuko instantly melted against him. Then, Zuko relaxed in his seat and stared at his boyfriend.

Sokka felt guilty, he admitted. Three o'clock in the morning was definitely not the time to call your boyfriend, who appreciated a lot his sleep, because you couldn't sleep and pick him up to have a spontaneous date.

He wouldn't have blamed Zuko if he said no, he actually expected him to but when Zuko sighed on the other side of the line and asked Sokka to give him fifteen minutes, he almost exploded out of joy. With a quickly made coffee, because not having one no longer made sense, he took the car and drove to Zuko's apartment with the perfect idea in mind.

"So," Zuko sighed as Sokka began to drive, "where we're going?"

Sokka grinned and glanced at Zuko with pride in his face, "To Denny's."

Zuko tried to hold back a smile and rolled his eyes, "I can't believe..."

"You better believe it because we're already going," Zuko huffed a laugh and rubbed his eyes. "I remembered we have never gone there so this is the perfect chance."

"Is it far away?"

They stopped under a traffic light and Sokka looked at Zuko, who had his eyes closed and was curling up in his seat. Sokka's heart exploded inside his chest, "Not really, why?"

Zuko opened his eyes and yawned, "To see if I can nap for a couple of minutes before we get there."

"I'm sure you can," Sokka replied in a soft voice, to then kiss the top of Zuko's mop of messy black hair and keep driving.

⏳

It wasn't far away at all actually, in less than seven minutes, Sokka counted them, they parked outside the nearest Denny's.

When the car stopped, Zuko looked up and stretched himself, which vaguely reminded Sokka of a cat. A grumpy, moody but really lovable and cute cat. Miraculously, Zuko looked a bit more awake when he got out of the car and the cold air outside hit him. It was the end of spring but mornings were still chilly, Sokka took his hand and walked inside.

It was empty for the most part, but they chose a table near a window in case someone decided to steal the car. Sokka already knew what he was going to order so he just fondly stared at Zuko as he eyed the menu on his hand.

"You're staring at me," Zuko said without looking up.

"I'm zoning out," Sokka replied as he put his chin on his hand and didn't take his eyes away from Zuko, who huffed a laugh and after a few minutes, glanced up and spoke in a hesitant voice.

"Can I order pancakes?"

There was something in his eyes that told Sokka this might go beyond some simple pancakes but he'd be damned if he let his boyfriend doubt himself, "Of course you can!"

The corner of Zuko's lips lifted up as he closed the menu, "Okay, I want that and a strawberry milkshake."

Sokka winked at him, "You got it."

⏳

Guilt was pushed to the back of his mind when he saw how Zuko hummed in delight at his pancakes and, in his words, extremely sugary milkshake. Sokka found out Zuko hadn't had pancakes in forever because after his mom left, pancakes were rarely seen in his house. Even after he learned how to make them, he rarely came around to do it and Sokka made a promise to himself to give Zuko as many pancakes as he wanted.

After they finished and Sokka stubbornly refused to let Zuko pay for his part of the food, they went back to the car. It was a little bit past four and Sokka already had an idea about what they could do next.

"Alright, Mastermind, where we're going now?" Zuko asked, looking a lot more awake than an hour ago.

Sokka started the car, "It's a secret."

"If you're gonna kidnap me and dump me in a ditch, please let me call me Uncle Iroh first."

"I would never dump you in a ditch, you'd have the fanciest coffin ever," Sokka couldn't erase the grin from his face as he got into the street, "and besides, if I were to kidnap you, I'd let you tell everyone everything except for where we're going."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Zuko leaned in and planted a kiss in Sokka's cheek.

The street was insanely quiet, barely any cars or people passing by and the streetlight were the only things illuminating their path. It was also cold outside but Sokka almost didn't care, he's never been sensitive to temperature and Zuko's hand intertwined with his was warm enough.

Buildings and stores soon began to disappear and were replaced by trees and fields of grass. They were driving on a road different from the usually busy city streets and Zuko didn't seem to notice and when Sokka glanced at him, he found out why.

Zuko had his head leaned against the window and his eyes were closed, Sokka had the sudden urge to wrap him in a blanket.

It's alright, Zuko could sleep some more, there were at least twenty minutes left before they arrived at the place Sokka had in mind. He allowed himself to enjoy the silence, the relaxing sound of the tires against the road and Zuko's steady breathing.

His estimation was off by three minutes and when the car stopped, Zuko stirred and opened his eyes. 

"Where are we?" He asked while looking out the window with a slight frown.

"We are in a very special place," Sokka answered and searched in the backseat for a blanket while Zuko opened the door and stepped out of the car, then Sokka followed him.

They were on a high hill, closer to Zuko's dad's house than Sokka's so it was pretty much the other side of the city. There was gravel under his shoes and in front of him there was one of the smallest parks he's ever been in. It had a statue in the middle of it, with some flowers and bushes around it and two benches on opposite sides of the park. There also was a railing at the end of it, masked with some more bushes and there was barely any light.

The important thing, and the best in Sokka's opinion, was the view. The entire city could be seen from up there and Sokka fell in love with the way all the lights were reflected in Zuko's honey eyes.

"Wow," he sighed, "this is... this is way better than my rooftop. Sokka, this is beautiful."

Sokka smiled fondly at him and pointed up, Zuko looked up at the sky and softly gasped.

Given they were above the smog of the city, the stars could be seen a lot more clearly. For once, there were too many stars to count them and the moon was a perfect bright sphere above their heads. Zuko was absorbed in view but right now, the only thing Sokka wanted to look at was Zuko.

"When we first moved to the city, dad stumbled upon this place," Sokka explained, "and the first thing he did was to buy me a telescope for my birthday and bring me here."

Zuko looked at him and fondly smiled, "Are we here for stargazing?"

"I didn't bring a telescope but yeah." Sokka walked to the patch of grass near the statue and laid the blanket, to then lie on it.

Zuko followed him with slow steps and then lied beside Sokka, with Sokka's arm as a pillow. Zuko's steady breathing and attitude made so much to relax Sokka's mind, he briefly closed his eyes and sighed.

After a few seconds, he did what he did best: he rambled about space. Sokka wasn't going to lie, his mind was tired and his body was a bit tired as well but he was still functioning enough to remember some facts and theories.

He knew Zuko didn't mind, Zuko himself told him once that it was cute the way he could go on and on about it and Sokka nearly proposed to him on the spot. He was drifting into the theory of white holes when Zuko interrupted him.

"Sokka," he looked at Zuko and saw a playful smile on his face, "do you know what stars I like the most?"

Sokka would die to know that information so he quickly shook his head, "No."

Zuko was having fun fighting back a smile and after deeply breathing in, he said, "The ones in your eyes."

Sokka squealed and jumped in his place, his heart clenching too hard at Zuko's words. He buried his face in the blanket for a second in an effort to hide the blush that was creeping up his ears and then slapped Zuko, whose body was shaking from laughter, on the chest.

"You can't just say things like that!"

Zuko smirked, "You should've seen yourself drunk."

Sokka hid his face again, his words came out muffled, "Oh, please, don't."

"And besides," Zuko rolled over and tried to peek between the blanket and Sokka's face to look at him in the eye, "what could you possibly do to stop me?"

Sokka stood very still for a moment, to the point Zuko's expression fell and thought he actually said something that offended Sokka in some way but in a split second, he was proven wrong when Sokka jumped on him and kissed him.

Sokka held Zuko's face between his hands and Zuko untied Sokka's ponytail to run a hand through his hair and slid an arm around his waist. Sokka kissed his boyfriend until he was breathless and then kept kissing him because there weren't words enough to describe how much he loved Zuko.

He was interrupted though, because a smile broke in Zuko's face.

"This is going to fire back, you know?" He said as he tried to put a strand of hair behind Sokka's ear, "I'll have to keep flustering you so you kiss me. As a genius, you should know this is a terrible way to shut me up."

Sokka grinned, "Guess the only thing I can do is to try."

Suddenly, the stars and the moon weren't as important as they had been a couple minutes ago and the silence and love wrapped them in their arms.

They kissed until they couldn't breathe and felt light-headed, until there was nothing they could remember but each other's lips.

Eventually, they stopped and Zuko lied on top of Sokka's chest, who mindlessly played with Zuko's hair. He fell asleep of course, even with Sokka's rapid heartbeat on his ear and Sokka's fixed gaze on him. He stared at the way Zuko had such a peaceful expression and the way he clutched Sokka's hoodie with his hand, Sokka couldn't believe how lucky he was.

He must have saved the world in a past life to be this lucky on this one, the perfect boy was lying on his chest and he couldn't be more full of love for him. Sokka could spend hours, days and maybe even months or years with Zuko and he knew he wouldn't get tired of it.

Sokka sighed and brushed Zuko's hair away from his eyes and then looked up. The sky was no longer that dark and if he turned his head just enough, he could see a few rays of sunlight coming up.

Maybe he should take Zuko home, he thought, but Sokka's body was glued to the ground. Another half hour had to pass by for him to softly start to lay kisses on Zuko's face. He stirred and for a second, he squeezed Sokka's body so tight it hurt but then Zuko relaxed against him and looked up.

"Good morning."

A quiet chuckle shook Sokka's chest, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"What time is it?" Zuko flopped again on Sokka.

"I don't know but I think Uncle Iroh might be looking for you soon."

Zuko lightly groaned, "Maybe you're right."

Still, it took Zuko more than five minutes to unstick himself from Sokka and scan his surroundings. He sighed and took Sokka's hand.

"You know?" He said with sleepy eyes as he swinged Sokka's hand, who had an arm behind his head and a silly smile on his face. "Uncle will get worried but he won't if I give him a call."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at him, "Where are you going with this?"

Zuko shrugged, "I'm just saying that I can always call Uncle Iroh and then we can go get some breakfast at Denny's."

The happiness Sokka felt in that moment was almost too much for his body to hold and the smile that broke in his face made his cheeks hurt. All tiredness and worries disappeared as he took Zuko's hand and helped him up.

Then, Sokka pressed Zuko's body against his and quickly kissed him on the forehead, "Come on, let's get you some more pancakes."

Zuko faintly blushed and Sokka swore he would go broke just to make  _ this _ boy happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is dedicated to my beta reader, who never got to read this fic. And I hope that wherever she is now, she has peace and time to know I wrote her a happy ending.


End file.
